


Lost In Purgatory - Reiji Kotobuki x OC

by The Lost Butterfly (Butterfly553)



Category: K-pop, Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I Swear It's Not All Darkness, Major Illness, Making Love, Making Out, Mental Health Issues, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Snow Leopard Cub, Strangers to Lovers, True Love, White Tiger Cub
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 98,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27196828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Butterfly553/pseuds/The%20Lost%20Butterfly
Summary: Adryn Rei and her group PURGATORY are assigned to work with QUARTET NIGHT to get more popularity. Their mission is to write songs together in groups, and of course, Adryn gets paired with her favorite idol, Reiji. Will Reiji and Adryn get closer and fall in love while working together? Or will Adryn meet an untimely end due to her “health issues” that only a few people know about? Reiji might just be able to save Adryn from herself, but will he make it in time?
Relationships: Kotobuki Reiji/Original Character(s), Lee Taemin/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Character Descriptions

Adryn Rei is a 23-year-old American woman who moved to Japan a few years back to follow her best friends, Eclipse Oracle and Nova Oracle. Both Oracles were adopted by a Korean/Japanese man which led to them all moving to Korea to start at his Korean entertainment company. That led them to move to Japan with him when he decided to start up an entertainment company in Japan as well. So, Adryn is a Japanese and Korean idol. Adryn has always been a huge fan of Asian idols but when she came across Reiji, she instantly became a fan of him, which led her to being a fan of QUARTET NIGHT as well. Adryn was once in a band back in America, which led to her playing the guitar and making her own music. She loves songs with stories to them. 

Adryn has dyed red hair that reaches just above her shoulders and is parted off to one side, the ends of her hair curl upwards, some towards her neck and some outwards. Her eyes are naturally green, but she wears golden-colored prescription contacts that glow in the dark. Adryn usually wears tank tops of red or blue with black pants that are mostly tight with a pair of normal black shoes. 

Adryn wears 2 necklaces of different lengths. One is from a voodoo shop and holds some sage and musk within it. The other is an opal. She has both of her ears pierced with 2 earrings on each lobe. The bottom earrings are dangles with 6 stones of all different colors. The top earrings are circular blue opals. She also has her upper right cartilage pierced and that earring is a silver cuff with swirly designs. Her nose is pierced on the right side with a blue metallic circular ring there. She wears 2 rings on her left middle finger, one where you'd normally place a ring, which is a blue opal with little white opals around it. The other ring is just above the middle knuckle which is an emerald. On her right hand, she has a 3-headed brass snake ring on her ring finger. Adryn wears 2 rubber bracelets on her left wrist, one is blue and has sea creatures on it and it says JAWESOME. While the other one is black and says MOTHMAN. On her right wrist, there is a lapis lazuli bracelet. She also wears a toe ring on her second toes, the left one is black while the right one is green. 

~  
Eclipse Oracle is a 23-year-old American woman who moved to Korea at first to live with her adopted father. She'd brought Adryn and Nova with her, of course, since they'd follow her anywhere anyway. She is the current girlfriend of a Korean idol named Taemin. They met when Eclipse was an idol just starting out in Korea. They'd continued to date even after Eclipse moved to Japan with her father, best friend, and sister. Eclipse is also an artist and loves to draw and sketch various things. Mostly herself and Taemin though. She is also a composer of music when she wants to be. 

Eclipse has straight dyed pale pink hair that goes down nearly to her butt. She has normal bangs that reach her eyebrows. Her eyes are naturally blue, but she wears silver contacts that glow under black light. She usually wears all black with hints of purple and silver, but her main outfit is a black lace corset with a black leather skirt that is short in the front and long in the back. She also wears lacy stockings and a pair of leather lace-up high heeled boots. 

She wears a lot of jewelry. She wears 8 necklaces that are a variety of stones. Purple sapphires, regular sapphires, and purple labradorite are some of them. She also has a Jonghyun memorial necklace and one choker. She wears 4 bracelets on each wrist that are also a variety of the same stones, with the addition of red jasper. Unless she's going somewhere special, then it's 7 on each wrist. She also wears 3 rings on each hand that are the same mix of gemstones, among others. Unless she's going somewhere special again, that means she'd have 7 on each hand as well. Her ears are pierced with the only earrings being dangles that have the triple moon goddess symbol on them with angel wings attached to it. 

~

Nova Oracle is a 21-year-old American woman who moved to Korea at first with Eclipse and Adryn. She has always loved singing and being the center of attention, so she was made into an idol fairly quickly. She has been doing extremely well as an idol as well. She is also an artist like her sister, but she does mostly paintings of landscapes. She is very friendly and makes friends with anyone who is even remotely a good person, but that doesn't mean she is friends with just anyone. She is also a composer like her sister and best friends. She loves to write upbeat music that have a great emotional story to them. 

Nova has dyed pale purple hair that goes down to her shoulders and is wavy. She also has normal slightly wavy bangs. Her eyes are naturally a pale blue and she absolutely adores them. Nova usually wears a T-shirt that is normally blue or pink, with dark blue or black tight pants. She usually wears normal black shoes with that. 

Nova wears one necklace that is a sterling silver locket with pictures of her sister and mother inside. She wears one bracelet that is pink and blue sapphires on her left wrist. She has her ears pierced and the only piercing is dangles that are pink sapphires. She wears 2 rings, one of each middle finger. They are both blue sapphires. She has a nose ring that is on her right side and it's a metallic pink circle ring. 

~

Shiori Sato is a 22-year-old Japanese woman who has always lived in Japan. She comes from a mildly rich family that has paid her way into being an idol due to her overwhelming want to be an idol. She has always been passionate about singing and entertaining people, but her personality could be worked on. With the richness, comes her snobby personality and her general thought that she is better than everyone else, even though there are people out there richer than she is. 

Shiori's hair is dyed blonde and is straight and down to the middle of her back. She does not have bangs. She usually wears dresses that go just above her knees, they are usually black or red. She also wears high heels with all her outfits, even on rainy days. 

She has one necklace that is a broken heart pendant. It is dark red in color. She has one bracelet on each wrist that are rubber. One is colored green and the other is dark red. She has her ears pierced and they are just garnet studs. She also wears a garnet ring on her right ring finger. She isn't one to wear a lot of jewelry.


	2. Introductions

PURGATORY is one of the all-girl idol groups of Oracle Entertainment that is made up of Adryn Rei, Eclipse Oracle and her younger sister, Nova Oracle and Shiori Sato. They are by far the most popular of the company, yet they still weren't as big as Daichi Oracle, the president, wanted them to be. So, one normal afternoon while the girls of PURGATORY were hanging out in a practice room, Daichi summoned them without telling them why. 

“I wonder what dad has to say to us...” Nova muttered as she and the other 3 were making their way to the office of the president. 

“While we are working, you should refer to him more officially, not 'dad'.” Shiori retorted instantly, causing Nova to turn to her group member and frown. 

“He said we can call him whatever we wanted. Hell, he even wants me to call him 'dad'.” Adryn stated cutting in to defend Nova. Shiori chuckled humorlessly at that.

“He wants you to call him 'dad' because you've been in Eclipse and Nova's lives since you were, what, 4 or something?”

“Something like that,” Adryn responded as they finally approached the door to the office they were summoned to. Adryn knocked on the door and when they heard a response, she opened it up. However, as soon as she saw the occupants of the room, she froze.

“Adryn? What is it?” Nova questioned as she looked over the redhead's shoulder. Nova then froze as well. 

“Just move already!” Shiori snapped as she pushed her way into the room. She, too, then froze. 

“What is up with you 3?” Eclipse grumbled as she walked into the room, past her best friend and sister. When she saw the people in the room, all she could do was say, “Oh...” Standing there in the room were unexpected people. Shining Saotome, the president of Shining Entertainment, was there, along with the 4 members of QUARTET NIGHT. 

“Girls, I'm sure you recognize these men,” Daichi spoke up smirking at the 4 girls. “Come on in. We need to talk.” 

“Talk about what?” Eclipse asked as she pulled her group-mates into the room and closed the door behind them. 

“You know how I've wanted you girls to become more popular?”

“Yeah?” The girls responded with total confusion. 

“Well, Shining and I decided to come together and help each other out. You girls will be paired up with one of the QUARTET NIGHT boys and you'll write songs together for the foreseeable future.” 

“Oh... Okay. So who are the pairs?” Nova questioned with a huge smile on her face, the shock had clearly worn off. 

“Adryn Rei?” Daichi spoke up, bringing the girl back to reality. 

“Yes, sir?” Adryn replied as she looked to the man. 

“You will be with Reiji Kotobuki.” Adryn felt her world stop as she heard those words. 

“Okay.” Adryn wasn't sure what else to say, but she knew that she needed to respond something. She just hoped it didn't sound so squeaky as she thought it sounded. “Eclipse Oracle, you are paired with Ai Mikaze.” 

“Alright,” Eclipse responded with a smile. 

“Nova Oracle, you are paired with Ranmaru Kurosaki.” 

“Okay!” Nova replied happily as she looked to the man. He'd met her gaze, causing Nova to look away quickly. 

“Finally, Shiori Sato, you are with Camus.” 

“Cool,” Shiori responded simply. 

“Now, introduce each other to each other.” Shining blurted out loudly, motioning for the men to approach the women. Reiji took the initiative and approached Adryn with a smile. He held out his hand and spoke to her. 

“Hey there, my name is Reiji Kotobuki, but you can call me Rei!” Reiji spoke up brightly. Adryn reached out to shake his hand, but before she could speak, Shiori spoke up. 

“Yeah, no, she knows who you are. She's a huge fan of yours.” Shiori muttered loudly to the group. That caused Adryn to freeze once again and drop her hand to turn to glare at Shiori. 

“Mind your business,” Adryn grumbled to the girl. Shiori then glared at Adryn in response. 

“Screw off, Adryn!” Shiori snapped back at Adryn. 

“Seriously?!” Adryn and Shiori then made their way to each other and descended into an argument with each other. That left Reiji standing there, his hand still held out but now just staring at the girls in confusion. Everyone watched as Adryn and Shiori threw insults at each other and got closer together as their volume began to get louder. 

“Okay enough!” Nova snapped as she pulled Adryn backward and then shoved her towards Reiji. Adryn stumbled but was caught by Reiji. That caused Adryn's face to turn completely red as she pulled away from the man. 

“Uh... Anyway! I'm Reiji, it's nice to meet you!” Reiji spoke up a little less cheery than before. 

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Adryn shortly responded to the man. 

“Oh boy, you two are going to get along soo great!” Shiori's voice was as sarcastic as it could possibly be. Adryn instantly shot her a glare, but Eclipse stepped in between them to approach Ai. 

“My name is Eclipse, it's nice to officially meet you.” Eclipse's voice was calm, not showing that she was actually genuinely happy to meet him. 

“It's nice to meet you as well, my name is-” Ai was cut off by Eclipse's smile. 

“I know who you are, just like Adryn is, I'm a fan of QUARTET NIGHT. I'm glad to meet you after all this time.” Eclipse actually showed her happiness on her face. It was a rare moment. Taking that moment to approach Ranmaru, Nova hurried over to him with a bright smile. 

“Hey there, Ranmaru! My name is Nova! I'll enjoy working with you!” Nova was bright and cheery, like normal. Ranmaru was taken aback for a moment before responding to her brightness. 

“Hi. I'm sure working with you will be alright.” Ranmaru wasn't necessarily unfriendly, he just wasn't as bright as Nova was. Everything was dull in comparison to Nova. 

“Hey, Camus? You should feel proud to be working with someone like me. So yeah, let's enjoy working together.” Shiori's words were just a little too harsh and it definitely rubbed Camus the wrong way. Camus instantly glared at the blonde girl, only for her to smirk back at him. 

“Wow, even I'm not that big of a bitch...” Adryn muttered mostly to herself, even though everyone in the room heard her.

“Anyway...” Daichi began hesitantly. “I think you 8 should live together to be able to get to know each other better.”

“Makes sense,” Eclipse responded simply to her father. 

“So, how about QUARTET NIGHT moves in with you girls.” 

“How about, what now?” Adryn questioned immediately. “They'd be mauled by our cats!” 

“No, no, no! Don't you dare refer to those cubs as “cats”! They are a snow leopard and a white tiger cub! Not any ordinary cats!” Shiori yelled at the redhead in return. 

“Wait, what?” Reiji questioned after he processed what he'd heard. 

“I have a white tiger cub named Precious and Adryn has a snow leopard named Serenity.” Eclipse explained simply. It was like no big deal to her, but it was to the men of the room. Secretly though, Ranmaru was actually excited to meet the cubs, as he is a lover of cats. Even so, he wondered how the girls weren't dead yet and how they even obtained the cubs in the first place, so he decided to ask.

“How did you get the cubs?” Ranmaru questioned as he looked to Adryn and Eclipse. 

“Oh, they got them from a rescue place that saved the cubs from poachers. They've been raising them since they were really little. They are both trained and have only mauled someone once. However, that was because that idiot broke into our home and was trying to steal things.” Nova responded with a smile as she looked up to her partner. 

“I agree with Daichi!” Shining suddenly exclaimed. “QUARTET NIGHT, you will go to your homes, pack a few bags and make your way to the home of PURGATORY. You will remain there for the time being.”

“Yes, sir,” Reiji responded with a smirk. The others of his group reluctantly agreed as well. Each of them was given the address of the home and they were sent on their way. PURGATORY decided to head home to get everything ready for the men to arrive there. There were a little cleaning and wrangling of the cubs to do. Eclipse and Adryn had to explain to the cubs that they were not to maul the men that were going to be entering their home. 

Eventually, Reiji made his way to the home of PURGATORY. Once he got there though, he was confused. No one mentioned that it was a freaking mansion. Reiji didn't know it yet, but there were 3 wings of the mansion. The left-wing was where everyone's bedrooms were among a few extra rooms. The right-wing is where the living rooms and the kitchen were. Then there is the main wing which is where the entrance is. The entrance is a large open room with a staircase in the middle of it leading to the other floors. Outside, to Reiji, the mansion was just large and different. There were even gates blocking the way of getting up the driveway. So, Reiji pulled into the driveway to the gates and pressed the little button there that would page inside of the mansion. After a moment, he got a response.

“Hey there, Reiji. I'll let you in.” Adryn's voice came through the voice box. She sounded so much more friendly than she did when he'd first met her, so he was almost confused as to who she was. 

“Thanks!” Reiji responded, even though he wasn't sure if Adryn heard him or not. However, the gates opened up without another word from Adryn. So, Reiji began to drive up the driveway until he was met with Adryn standing there in the driveway. “Hello Adryn, where should I park?” 

“I'll show you. It's around back in my car garage. There should be room for at least 4 more cars, so yours will fit just fine.” Hearing that from Adryn shocked Reiji even more than seeing the mansion. 

“How many cars do you have?” 

“You'll see.” Adryn then led Reiji around the mansion and to the fairly large garage in the back. Once the doors opened and Reiji pulled into the garage, he saw just how many cars she had. There were 4 cars, 3 new sports cars, and one old luxury car to be specific. One  
was a forest green, another was a cerulean blue, then a Russian violet one and then finally a gunmetal gray one. “All of them, except the Russian violet one are mine. That one is Eclipse's. I wanted to get more cars, but I'll have to wait. My group mates are complaining about how much money I'm spending on my cars.” Reiji is even more shocked now to hear that Adryn was able to afford all these cars, and was able to even buy more if she wanted to. 

“How can you afford all this?” Reiji found himself asking. 

“I was in a fairly popular band in America, plus all the money from being an idol in Korea and Japan helps too.” Adryn smiled at Reiji, clearly not going to give him any more information about her situation. “Well, let's grab your bags and head inside. We can enter through the back deck.” 

“Alright!” Reiji grabbed the 2 heaviest bags and handed Adryn a lightly light one. The 2 of them then headed into the home and into the left-wing of the house. Once they were on a certain floor, Adryn set down the bag she was holding. 

“You can pick any unlocked door on this floor. I'm right here.” Adryn stated as she pointed to a door to her right. 

“Where is everyone else?” 

“Eclipse is to the right of my bedroom, Nova is right next to her and then Shiori is next to Nova.”

“I see. Well, I choose this one then.” Reiji walked over to the door across from Adryn's room. Reiji then opened the door and walked in with his bags, with Adryn following him with her one bag of his. 

“Alright. So, do you want to unpack now or later?”

“I'd like a tour now if that's alright?” Reiji turned to face Adryn with a smile on his face. Adryn returned the smile and nodded her head. 

“Alright, let's go then!” Adryn began to walk, with Reiji following after her. The mansion was only 3 stories and had plenty of rooms to be seen. So Adryn decided to just show Reiji the main areas that he'd need to know about. “Okay, so, this is the panic room for this floor. Every floor in the left-wing has one, and then there is one in the right-wing.” The room they were standing in front of was just down the hallway from the bedrooms where Reiji and Adryn just were. 

“Why do you need a panic room?” Reiji was a little concerned due to that.

“Nothing special. Just in case. I'm paranoid sometimes so I like to live in this one when I'm feeling too scared.” Reiji wanted to ask about that, but Adryn continued to walk down the hallway. “This is the weapons room.” Adryn opened up the door to reveal a bunch of swords, daggers, and knives hanging on the walls and sitting on various tables. There was even a battle-ax and a few other items that Reiji couldn't identify. “Then...” Adryn continued, ignoring the slightly concerned look on Reiji's face. He thought all the weapons were a bit cool, but they were also nerve-wracking. “This is the precious gemstone room.” It was the room directly across from the weapons room. 

“Gemstones?” Reiji peered into the room only to see a large amount of purple, blue and variously other colored gemstones. 

“Eclipse and I have collected these over the past years and keep all the extra ones here. We keep our favorites in our rooms.” Adryn smiled at Reiji as he stared in awe at the number of stones that shinned in the room. “Moving on...” Adryn then lead Reiji out of the left-wing and into the right-wing. “This is where Serenity and Precious sleep.” Adryn slowly opened the door to a huge room. Inside the room, there were oversized cat trees and various toys scattered across the floor. There were 2 large litter boxes as well and then finally, Reiji laid his eyes on 2 sleeping cubs on a large bed, which was probably actually a dog bed. 

“They are adorable! Ran-Ran is going to love them!” At Reiji's comment, Adryn couldn't help but chuckle. 

“The one with the blue collar is Serenity, she's the snow leopard, and the one with the purple collar is Precious, the white tiger.” 

“They are both beautiful. I love them already!” Reiji smiled at Adryn, who smiled back. 

“I hope they'll love you as well, and you know, not maul you.” Hearing that caused some of that concern to return to Reiji, but he pushed it aside. 

After the cat room, Adryn showed Reiji where the kitchen was and where the few living rooms were. After that was the theater room, which turned out to be where the other 3 girls were. Eclipse, Nova and Shiori were too captivated by the screen to even noticed that Adryn and Reiji had entered the room. They were watching something in English, so Reiji wasn't sure what it was. 

“Alright, let's go wait for your group mates in the entrance hall,” Adryn spoke up as she walked out of the theater room. Reiji nodded his head and followed after Adryn. 

“Let's talk about our first song while we wait!” Reiji called out to Adryn as he followed after her through the maze of halls. Adryn was walking quickly but Reiji and his slightly longer legs were able to catch up. 

“Oh, sure,” Adryn responded simply as she continued to walk. Eventually, they made their way to the entrance hall. “Let's sit over here.” The redhead led Reiji to a part of the entrance hall where there was a little sitting area. So, the two of them sat next to each other and thought for a moment in silence. “So, do you have any idea what you want to write our first song about?” 

“Hmm, that's a good question. What types of things do you usually write songs about?” Reiji responded with a huge smile. Adryn was a little disoriented by the smile because she wasn't quite used to Reiji's brightness yet. 

“Uh, well, usually... Well, usually I write about-” Adryn was then cut off by the buzzer sounding. It was the buzzer that signaled that someone was at the gate and was wanting inside. “Hold on, that might be your other members.” The girl then got up and headed to the little area that had the button to open the gate. There was also a little screen that showed who was at the gate. Reiji had followed her, and before Adryn could even say anything, he spoke up. 

“Oh, that's our official car and our driver!” 

“I guess I should let them in then, shouldn't I?” Adryn was already pressing the button as she spoke. After about 10 seconds, the door opened fully and Adryn and Reiji were heading out the front door to meet the others. 

“Hey guys, glad you got here safely!” Reiji brightly called to his group-mates. They did not share his enthusiasm as they just looked up at the mansion. 

“No one said you lived in a mansion,” Camus commented as if he'd thought that it was surprising that PURGATORY lived in such a lavish place.

“Is that a problem?” Adryn questioned a little annoyed at Camus' tone. 

“I wonder.” Camus then began to walk past Adryn with his 2 bags in hand. The other two followed behind him as Reiji thanked their driver and waved him goodbye. 

“Come this way. I'll call the others.” Adryn led the group into the entrance hall and headed to an intercom on the wall. She pressed a button and began to speak. “Hey girls, come to the entrance. They are all here.” 

“Alright, we're on our way.” Came Eclipse's voice after a moment of silence. So, Adryn turned to the others and frowned at them. She wasn't entirely sure what to say to all of them. She was good one-on-one with people, well to a point, but she was even worse with a group of people, especially men. 

“They'll be here shortly.” Adryn finally spoke up realizing they were all looking at her looking for answers. It took a few moments, but it felt like an hour to Adryn as they all waited for the other 3 girls to arrive at the entrance. 

“Hey there! It's nice to see you all again!” Nova smiled at the others. “Well, without waiting any further, let's head to where you guys are going to stay. Seeing no problem with that, the boys with their bags followed the girls through the hallways until they reached where their rooms were. 

“I picked the one across from my partner, I think you should also stay across from your partner,” Reiji suggested to his group-mates. 

“That sounds fine,” Ai responded simply. 

“Alright, so you'd be across from me, which would make you next to Reiji.” Eclipse informed Ai. The boy nodded his head and made his way to where Eclipse guided him to. 

“That means, Ran-Ran, you'll be across from me!” Nova had already picked up Reiji's nickname for Ranmaru, much to the man's dismay. Even so, Ranmaru made his way to where Nova had pointed him to go. 

“That leaves you across from me,” Shiori stated to Camus as she motioned to the door across from hers. 

“Alright, guys! Let's get unpacked and then head to the kitchen!” Reiji then opened his door up and entered it, prompting the others to enter their rooms as well. 

“We'll be waiting in the kitchen. You remember how to get to the kitchen, right?” Adryn questioned Reiji before the man could close his door. 

“Yep!” Reiji sounded confident but Adryn doubted it a little bit. Even so, Adryn nodded her head and walked off with her group-mates. Adryn was finally able to take a deep breath and think about her conversations with Reiji. She didn't show it, but she was very nervous the whole time as she was a huge fan of Reiji. She hoped that she was a bit more friendly this time around rather than when they'd first met.


	3. Arguments

It took QUARTET NIGHT a little while to put their belongings away, but eventually, they appeared in the kitchen with Reiji leading them. 

“I was wondering if you 4 would ever make it here, or if we'd have to go looking for you guys,” Shiori commented as the man filed into the room. The girls were seated in various locations. Adryn and Nova were seated at the counter and Shiori and Eclipse were seated at the dining table. 

“Take a seat, guys. We gotta talk.” Nova spoke up confusing those she was speaking to. 

“What do we need to talk about?” Reiji asked as he took a seat at the dining table. His group-mates also sat down at the table. The table could fit 12 people, so there was more than enough room. 

“Well, we have no maids or cooks here. We have to do all the cleaning and cooking ourselves.” Adryn explained to the men. “So, since you'll be here with us for the time being, you guys have to help out as well.” 

“That sounds fair, right guys?” Reiji turned to his group-mates and they all nodded their heads in agreement. 

“So, which ones of you want to be cooks and who wants to clean?” Eclipse questioned the guys. They all took a moment to think before responding. 

“I'll cook,” Reiji spoke up first with a smile. 

“I'll cook as well,” Camus spoke up next. 

“I'll clean.” Ai simply stated. 

“I'll clean too,” Ranmaru stated as they all looked to him. 

“Cool. Then, Ranmaru and Ai, you'll help me and Eclipse. While Reiji and Camus help Shiori and Nova.” Adryn informed the group of men. They all nodded their heads in response.

“Technically, I can cook too. I just prefer not to if I can help it.” Eclipse stated simply just wanting to throw that out there. 

“I can't cook at all, but I can bake desserts. So if anyone wants any deserts, then feel free to ask me to make something.” Adryn threw out there as well. 

“Alright, cool!” Reiji responded with a smile directed at Adryn. She blushed and looked away from him, causing him to feel a little confused as she'd been so friendly earlier. 

“Well, it's gotten pretty late, so let's have us cooks make food, and the others can either help or just watch,” Nova spoke up to the group as she hopped down from the stool she'd been seated on. 

“Eclipse, let's go wake up and feel Serenity and Precious.” Adryn mentioned to her best friend. Eclipse nodded her head and followed Adryn out of the room and down a few halls to where the cubs' room was. Once in there, Eclipse began to speak to Adryn. 

“So, are you going to be able to handle all this due to your health declining? Won't they all see your symptoms show eventually?” Eclipse asked Adryn, causing Adryn to freeze and glare at her best friend. 

“Don't talk about it out loud. I don't want them to know about it. Nova was enough, but I don't need Shiori or the guys to know anything about my health issues.” Adryn's voice bordered on annoyance, causing Eclipse to frown at her. Unbeknownst to them, Ranmaru had followed after them and heard their entire conversation. 

“'Health issues'?” Ranmaru muttered to himself quietly so no one else heard him. He just shook it off and opened the door, startling the two girls and the cubs inside.

“What re you doing here?” Adryn questioned a little harshly. 

“I was hoping I could meet the cubs?”

“Oh sure.” Eclipse spoke up, causing Adryn to fall silent as she was about to tell Ranmaru “no”. Adryn just sighed and walked over to Serenity. 

“Wake up, pretty girl,” Adryn spoke to her cub, not wanting to startle her at all. Eclipse walked over to her cub as well and spoke to her gently as well. Soon, both cubs were awake and staring up at them. However, as soon as they noticed Ranmaru, they began to growl in their cute little baby growls. Even so, it startled Ranmaru and caused him to take a step backward. 

“It's alright girls, he's one of the guys we talked about. He'd a friend now.” Eclipse explained to the cubs. Instantly, the cubs calmed down. Precious began to walk over to Ranmaru with Serenity following after her. So, Ranmaru knelt down on the ground to begin to pet them. 

“Here, they like this toy,” Adryn spoke up as she handed Ranmaru a toy. It was a long stick with a long string attached to it, with feathers at the end. 

“Thanks,” Ranmaru stated as he took the toy from Adryn. While he played with the cubs, Adryn and Eclipse filled up the cubs' bowls with food and refilled their water bowls. Soon though, the cubs wanted food and lost interest in Ranmaru and the toy, much to his dismay. 

“We should probably head back to the kitchen. They probably could use help or something.” Eclipse spoke up, as she gently petted her cub. 

“Let's leave the door open, so the cubs can follow us if they want to,” Adryn suggested, causing Eclipse to nod her head in agreement. Ranmaru got up from the ground and followed Adryn and Eclipse out of the room, with the cubs following quickly behind them. The girls led them to the kitchen and then headed back to their original seats. “So guys, these are Serenity and Precious.” 

“Aww! How cute!” Reiji had only seen them for a few moments when they were sleeping, but now that he saw them in a better light, he thought they were completely adorable. However, he was cooking so he'd have to pet them later. 

“Hopefully they'll like you all,” Adryn stated, however she then saw Serenity make a hissing noise at Ai, much to their confusion. “Don't mind her. She's not good with new humans.” However, Eclipse just chuckled causing Adryn to be even more confused. 

“Precious will love all of you,” Eclipse spoke up after she collected herself. She was very correct, as Precious was walking around everyone and rubbing up against them all. 

After another few minutes, the food was done and everyone had a plate. They all sat at the huge rectangle table. There were 4 chairs on each of the long sides and 2 chairs on each of the short sides, making the total of chairs be 12. the members of PURGATORY and QUARTET NIGHT all sat across from each other. The girls on one side and the boys of the other. 

“So, how would you girls like your newest songs to turn out?” Reiji suddenly questioned as he ate his food. Each of the girls thought for a moment before Eclipse began to speak up first. 

“I'd like mine and Ai's song to be about true love, but I'm afraid people would get the wrong idea.” Eclipse explained simply as she paused in her eating. 

“Oh, that's right, you have a boyfriend, correct?” 

“Yeah, he and I have been together for a little while now. Even though it's supposed to be against the rules for idols to date. It was complicated at first, but then both our agencies decided that we'd make a good power couple and would get more popularity if we worked together. Even now, we are only permitted to be together as long as we don't create any scandals or any negative attention.” 

“You're still together now, even though you both live in different countries?” Ai questioned, joining in on the conversation. 

“Of course. I waited over 20 years for my true love, I'm not letting him slip away so easily. He feels the same.” 

“That's sweet. I'm happy that you found what you were looking for.” Reiji smiled at the girl, who returned his smile. 

“She makes it look so easy. We want to find our true loves as easily as she did.” Nova pouted causing Reiji to chuckle. 

“Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find him one day.” 

“Actually, I'm into girls.” 

“Oh! Well... I'm sure you'll find her one day then.” Reiji laughed a little nervously, hoping he hadn't offended the girl or anything. Nova however just smiled at him and nodded her head. 

“It's Adryn I'm worried about the most,” Nova admitted, causing the redhead to snap her head up and nearly choke on her food. 

“Excuse me?” Adryn snapped at her friend, who giggled in response. 

“I mean, you've had your fair share of failed loves, I'm worried you'll throw yourself into something new and get hurt again.” 

“I have absolutely no plans on getting into any types of relationships again.” Adryn's words were harsh and final and caused the table to fall into silence. Reiji wanted to ask her why, but he knew that with the tone of her voice, she didn't want to talk about it.

“Um, anyway!” Eclipse began, breaking the silence suddenly. “Back to the topic, we were talking about. I don't really mind what my song or songs will be about, as long as we gain popularity.” Eclipse paused before speaking up again. “I mean, I just want PURGATORY to be more well known. It's not that I don't appreciate our current fans, it's just that I want my father and sister's dreams to come true.” That seemed to resonate with Reiji, causing him to smile. 

“Well, QUARTET NIGHT will do everything in our power to help you become more well known,” Reiji stated causing the girls to smile at him. Even Shiori was happy about hearing Reiji say that. 

“Well, as long as you girls deserve it and are good at what you do,” Camus stated causing all the smiles to end. Shiori instantly took that as a challenge. 

“Well, PURGATORY is way better than QUARTET NIGHT!” Shiori snapped at her partner. 

“That is literally impossible for that to be true.” Adryn instantly responded before Camus could say a word. That caused the guys in the room to turn to look at her. She then realized that she inadvertently showed them all how big of a fan she is of them. She knew that they knew, but still, she didn't like them knowing that. So, Adryn's face then turned red and she looked down at her food in embarrassment. 

“Why are you so embarrassed to admit that you are a fan of us?” Ai questioned Adryn, causing her to look up to him. She was about to respond, but Shiori butted in first. 

“It's probably because of the ridiculous amount posters and merchandise of Reiji that Adryn has in her room.” Shiori's words instantly caused Adryn to stand up and walk out of the room. Eclipse instantly reached around her sister and smacked Shiori's shoulder. 

“You went too far! You know Adryn doesn't like to admit to who she's a fan of, especially not to their face!” Eclipse snapped at Shiori. The blonde girl just smirked at Eclipse causing her to get up from her chair. Eclipse instantly went after the upset Adryn. That left the guys confused and slightly worried about Adryn now, well Reiji was worried, no one else. 

“You see, Adryn is a fan of Reiji specifically, but she also loves you guys as a whole. Her favorite is clear though.” Nova explained to the group of guys. 

“Her being a fan of Reiji is seriously bordering on obsession,” Shiori stated but Nova just shook her head. 

“That's just how Adryn is. It isn't bad or anything. It's just how she shows that she adores something.” Hearing that, Reiji couldn't help but feel strangely honored to be liked by someone to that extent. 

“I guess it's fine to a point, but I mean, Adryn listens to QUARTET NIGHT to help with her 'crippling depression'. Adryn is bipolar and has a ton of issues, so your guys' music helps her.” 

“Shiori! Shut up!” Nova was too late though, the damage was done and of course, Adryn had walked back into the room at that very moment. The guys and the 2 girls turned to look at Adryn and Eclipse behind her. Adryn looked mortified and was frozen in her spot. 

“Everyone has their issues, so it isn't anything to be ashamed of or anything like that.” Reiji began, but Adryn just looked to Shiori with pure anger in her eyes. 

“If you keep blabbing about my personal life, I'll kick you out of my home,” Adryn growled at Shiori. The anger was full in her voice and eyes. It shocked QUARTET NIGHT a little bit, as they hadn't seen her that angry yet. 

“I have nowhere else to go!” Shiori yelled back at Adryn. Though, the redhead didn't care one bit. Even so, the anger faded from her face as nausea began to take over. She hoped it didn't show on her face though. 

“I'm not hungry anymore.” With that, Adryn spun around and moved around Eclipse. The pink-haired girl sighed and moved back to her seat, beginning to eat like nothing was wrong. 

“Is she alright?” Reiji questioned, to which Eclipse just shrugged her shoulders. That told Reiji to not keep asking, so they all just went back to eating, but in silence this time. It didn't take long for them to eat up their food and then clean up the kitchen. 

During the process of eating or cleaning, Eclipse wasn't sure, the cubs had wandered off. She hoped they weren't getting into anything and breaking things again. 

“Oh, you know what, we should watch a movie in our theater room,” Nova suggested after everything was cleaned up and as they all had it before. 

“That's a good idea. Let's go!” Shiori then left the room, causing the others to just follow after her. 

“You have a theater room?” Ranmaru questioned as they walked down the hallways. 

“Yup. It's not too big, but it can fit maybe 50 people?” Nova's words caused Ranmaru to pause for a moment.

“'Not too big', huh?” Ranmaru was in disbelief, but soon they were there and entering the room. 

“Oh, Adryn's here.” Shiori pointed to the redhead who was wrapped up in a blue blanket in the 3rd row of seats. Hearing Shiori, Adryn turned to look at them.

“I guess we had the same idea,” Adryn stated as she sat up. 

“Were you watching anything, because the screen is blank,” Nova questioned to which Adryn shook her head. 

“I couldn't figure out what I wanted to watch, so I just sat here.” 

“Weird,” Shiori commented as she made her way to the 3rd row. The rest of the girls went to sit with Adryn, while the guys sat in the row behind them. 

“How are you feeling?” Eclipse questioned her best friend as she sat down next to her. 

“I'm fine now,” Adryn responded as she shifted her blanket so Eclipse could get under it as well. Nova, to Adryn's, left curled up under the surprisingly large blanket as well. 

“So, what are we going to watch?” Reiji asked from right behind Adryn. 

“I would say you guys can pick, but I want to see a specific movie right now,” Eclipse spoke up first in response. 

“What movie?” 

“Have you guys seen Labyrinth with David Bowie before?” Eclipse turned around slightly to see the guys behind her. 

“That's a movie in English, correct?” Ai questioned in return. 

“Yeah. Is that alright? It's one of my favorites and I'd love for you guys to watch it as well.”

“Sure! We'd love to watch it, right guys?” Reiji asked as he looked to his group-mates. One by one they all agreed, whether it was just a shrug or a nod of the head.

“Great, I get to watch this... again!” Shiori sounded completely bored and annoyed at Eclipse's choice of movie, but was also completely ignored by the pink-haired girl. She grabbed the remote from Adryn and turned on the screen. She then sighed and got up to go put the movie in. after a minute, the movie began to play. The Japanese guys and one girl were actually a little relieved to see that the movie had Japanese subtitles. They all could understand a decent amount of English, but it was nice that they could understand it in their own language, for the most part. 

~

Once the movie was over, Eclipse turned to look at the guys behind her, for any indication that they liked the movie. 

“Well, that was different.” Ai's voice was as calm and collected as usual, but the way he looked away from Eclipse when he spoke gave his true feelings away. He enjoyed the movie quite a bit but just didn't want to admit it to the others. 

“The movie was amazing! I can see why it's one of your favorites!” Reiji then spoke up, taking the attention off of Ai. “Ran-Ran! You loved it, right? I saw you moving to the music during the movie!” 

“I don't see how anybody could like that.” Camus snapped before Ranmaru could admit that he found the movie enjoyable. 

“Same! I can't believe they ever made a movie like that!” Shiori responded as she turned to Camus who was now looking at her. 

“Your opinion is invalid,” Eclipse told Shiori instantly. Shiori gasped, clearly offended by Eclipse's words. 

“Exactly, Shiori you aren't allowed to watch any movies with us anymore,” Adryn responded immediately after Eclipse. Shiori went from looking at Eclipse to looking at Adryn. 

“Why isn't Camus getting into trouble!?” Shiori yelled at the best friends. 

“He doesn't know any better,” Adryn replied simply causing Camus to look to her.

“What, am I a child?” Camus questioned annoyed at the redhead. 

“Bitch you might be!” Adryn responded immediately. Camus was about to respond, however, Ranmaru began to laugh at that, causing Nova to giggle which caused everyone else to dissolve into laughter, minus Camus and Shiori. That pair didn't find Adryn's response funny. “I... am sorry. That's a... instantly reaction... to being asked a question like that...” Adryn spoke up during fits of laughter. That just caused Camus to frown even deeper. Shiori was the one to speak up though. 

“Oh just shut up! It isn't funny!” The blonde snapped, trying to get the others to stop laughing. Suddenly, a phone went off, which turned out to be Adryn's phone. She pulled her blue phone out of her pocket and checked what her phone went off for.

“Oh damn. It's time to get ready for bed.” Adryn spoke up after silencing her phone. 

“You set an alarm to tell you to go to bed?” Ranmaru questioned curiously. 

“If I don't, then I'll stay up super late without even realizing.” 

“What a loser, right?” Shiori laughed wanting someone to join in with her, but Adryn just threw her blanket over the blonde as Adryn got up from her seat. 

“Shut it, Shiori. I have a schedule that I have to follow.” Adryn then began to walk towards the exit of the room. 

“It has gotten late, we should all head to bed now,” Reiji spoke up as he as well stood up from his seat. The rest, following Reiji's suggestion, got up him out of the door. Adryn was waiting for Eclipse and the two girls headed to find their cubs and tell them goodnight. After that, Adryn and Eclipse followed the others to the bedrooms. 

“There's another thing we should warn you about.” Eclipse began as she opened up her door. 

“What is it?” Ai questioned as he paused in opening his door. 

“Keep your doors closed and locked. Our cubs sometimes open up doors. We wouldn't want anyone to be mauled in their sleep, right?” Adryn smirked at the group and then opened up her door. “Goodnight. Sleep well.” With that, the redhead was in her room and heading to get ready for bed. Her last thoughts of the night were that she hoped that nothing else would surprise her the next day. 


	4. Worried

The next morning, Adryn woke up at exactly 7 am when her internal alarm went off. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed. She wasn't sure of much, due to her just being awake, but she was sure that she was hungry. So, she got ready for the day and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She groggily realized that there was another human in the kitchen, in the form of Reiji. As Adryn's eyes adjusted to the brightness of the kitchen, she realized that the cubs were there as well. 

“Good morning, Reiji, and girls.” Reiji must not have noticed Adryn enter the room, because he jumped in his seat and nearly began choking on the cereal he was eating. “Oh, my bad, you okay?” Adryn questioned as Reiji began to cough. After a concerning moment, Reiji nodded his head.

“Good morning,” Reiji responded as he set down the spoon in his hand. The cubs took a moment to look back at Reiji before they headed over to where Adryn was. 

“Hey girls. I hope you didn't break anything last night.” Adryn reached down to pet the growing cubs causing them to nudge against her hand and rub against her legs. “So, how did you sleep in an unfamiliar bed?”

“I slept just fine. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.” Reiji replied with a smile. “Why not sit down so we can talk a little about our first song?” 

“Alright.” Adryn agreed as she patted the cubs' heads and made her way past them. Reiji was seated at the island where there were 3 seats. So, Adryn took the one furthest from the man.

“So, I think I'd want our song to be an upbeat and happy sounding song.” Reiji finally spoke up after a few moments so munching on cereal. 

“Hmm. Well, I'd prefer a slower song that's definitely emotional.” Adryn retorted as she frowned. 

“What types of songs do you usually write?” 

“I usually write about heartbreak or something dark and depressing, with a hint of happiness thrown in there as well.” Adryn then thought about it for a moment before speaking again. “I love songs with a story to them and I always try to get some message across through my music, the lyrics, or the actual music that goes along with them.” 

“Oh, do you play an instrument?” Reiji was now curious about the girl, causing her to feel a little shy. 

“Uh, yeah. I know how to play the guitar and sometimes do our songs. I have a few in my room.” 

“That's cool, can I see them?” 

“Oh, um, sure. Finish up eating and I'll get a drink, then we can go to my room.” Adryn hopped down from the seat she was on and made her way to the refrigerator to pour a glass of milk before pouring in some chocolate mix to turn it into chocolate milk. The two then finished up their breakfasts in silence before leaving the kitchen. Adryn led Reiji to her room and then hesitantly opened the door. This would be the first guy in her room, and it made Adryn a little nervous. She just hoped that she didn't have anything out in the open that she didn't want anyone to see. 

“Oh cool, you have them hanging on your wall.” Reiji walked into her room without a care in the world. He made his way to the first guitar, an electric guitar, specifically a Fender Player Stratocaster – Tidepool. The second one was an Epiphone Limited Edition SG Special-I Electric Guitar Pelham Blue. The final one was an Epiphone PRO-1 Ultra Acoustic-Electric Guitar Transparent Blue. 

“I want others, but I can't decide which ones I want,” Adryn admitted as she walked over to Reiji. He was admiring them but then looked paused to look around Adryn's room. 

“You must really love blue, right?” Hearing Reiji's question that caused Adryn to chuckle. 

“Yeah, blue is one of my favorite colors. Along with green, black, red, white, and gold.” Adryn explained simply with a smile on her face. Reiji nodded his head as he looked around her room. The walls and ceilings were all painted a dark blue with stars and planets painted around the room. The stars were mostly blue with some red, white, and gold while the planets were the actual planets in the solar system. 

“I also can assume that you love wolves?” Reiji looked to Adryn's bed and saw that there was a blanket on it of a white wolf howling at the moon. The background was all black and magical looking with sparkles and such. 

“I love wolves and cats, but mostly cats as I grew up with a bunch of cats and have loved them my whole life.” Before Reiji could open his mouth to respond, Adryn's door flew open. There stood a confused but smirking Shiori. 

“Oh wow, this is the first time I've ever heard you talk about yourself or your past. You never talk about yourself or your past, not even in interviews. So, what are your cats' names from your childhood, I want to know, okay?” Shiori was still smirking and it was audible in her voice. She was feeling very arrogant for some reason, and it only served to annoy Adryn. 

“Why are you in my room?” Adryn responded, completely ignoring the other girl's questions.

“I heard voices and wanted to make sure that nothing weird was going on.” Shiori then looked around Adryn's room and her smirk widened. “Your room is so childish.”

“Get out,” Adryn demanded instantly. Adryn then shooed Shiori out of her room and closed the door, very literally in Shiori's face. Shiori's muffled swearing could be heard from the other side of the door, but Adryn ignored it. “I'm sorry about her interrupting.” 

“Why don't you talk about yourself or your past?” Reiji questioned as he walked over to the girl. 

“I don't talk about my past, no matter who asks because I don't like to be reminded of it all. I don't like to think about all that I left behind or all that happened before I left America for Korea.” Adryn then sighed and looked down at her feet before looking back to Reiji. “I also only talk about my past issues with Eclipse or Nova. Since they already know about everything, but don't get me wrong, I would tell someone if they became an irreplaceable person in my life, but that hasn't happened yet, so I haven't told anyone else.”

“I completely understand your reasons, as I have had some things in my past that I also don't wish to speak about,” Reiji replied simply as he nodded his head. Adryn was tempted to ask but ultimately chose not to. Surprisingly, they were interrupted by scratching on the door. So, Adryn opened the door to see her cub, Serenity out there looking up at her hopefully. 

“Oh, it looks like the others are waking up as well. We should probably head down to the kitchen where everyone else is probably going to be.” 

“Alright, sounds good.” Reiji then followed Adryn down the stairs and into the right wing, but Adryn paused to tell Reiji that she was going to feed Serenity and Precious, so he could go ahead to the kitchen without her. He agreed and they parted ways. So, Adryn headed into the cubs' room only to see Eclipse standing there feeding Precious. 

“Good morning, Adryn, Serenity,” Eclipse spoke up when she heard her best friend enter the room. 

“Hey. I didn't expect to see you up already.” Adryn responded simply as she went to feed Serenity, who was at Adryn's feet begging for food, even though she wasn't actually hungry. 

“I heard you and Reiji talking in your room and it interested me, so I woke up fully.” 

“Oh really?” Adryn couldn't help but laugh at her friend's reasoning. 

“I wasn't able to hear everything you two spoke of, soo, tell me what went on.”

“Nothing went on. He wanted to see my guitars, so I showed him them. We also talked about what my favorite colors were and how I liked cats and wolves. Then Shiori interrupted us followed by Serenity interrupting us.” Adryn explained in the simplest way sh could. 

“Why were you so willing to show Reiji your room, what about all of the QUARTET NIGHT stuff you have?”

“I took down all the posters and hid everything else. I did all that when we were told they were coming to live with us. You know, just in case any of them saw my room when the door was opened or something.” Hearing Adryn's explanation, Eclipse couldn't help but chuckle at her friend. Adryn smiled back at Eclipse, only for it to fall into a frown as she grabbed at her head. 

“You alright?” Eclipse was nervous suddenly, as she approached the redhead. 

“I'm fine. I'll just go take something for this headache that just suddenly came on.” Adryn replied simply as she finished up her feeding of Serenity. She then left the room while Eclipse headed to the kitchen. Adryn had special headache pills in her room to take whenever she got a headache. 

Once Adryn was done taking her headache pills, she made her way back down to the right wing, specifically the kitchen. As soon as she was in the kitchen, Adryn saw the cooks, Reiji, Camus, Shiori, and Nova all cooking. Eclipse was setting the table while Ranmaru and Ai were just chilling at the table. They were moving the plates around every so often to get them where Eclipse tells them to put them, so they were doing something. So, Adryn decided to head to the counter to watch the cooks make the food. 

“This silence is weird, we should talk about something,” Nova suggested from her place at the stove. 

“Let's talk about our hobbies.” Eclipse replied, causing Nova to nod her head enthusiastically. “I'll start.” With no one complaining, Eclipse began. “I am an artist. I draw people and outfits that I'd like to make one day. Sometimes, when inspiration hits, I write my stories.” 

“I am a painter of landscapes and I'm thinking about moving to people as well. I also write songs, music and lyrics.” Nova spoke up right after her sister. 

“Oh, I totally forgot that I write songs as well, both the music and lyrics like Nova and Adryn,” Eclipse mentioned before the next person could talk. 

“Oh, that's cool,” Reiji responded as he paused to take in what the two girls had said. 

“My turn. I like to take photos, mostly of my surroundings.” Shiori stated proudly as if it was some accomplishment or  
something. 

“You mean that you take photos of yourself,” Adryn smirked at the blonde, who instantly paused in what she was doing to glare at Adryn.

“Piss off, redhead.” Shiori's words were harsh and final, but Adryn just ignored her and began to talk about herself. 

“I'm a writer of stories and songs like Eclipse mentioned. I love to watch anime and read manga most of all though.”

“You're an otaku freak, you know that right?” Shiori snapped instantly, but she didn't get the reaction she thought she would. Adryn just smiled at her and nodded her head. 

“Damn right I am, and I'm proud to be an 'otaku freak'.” Hearing Adryn feel so proud of her weirdness, Reiji couldn't help but smile. 

“I guess it's my turn now.” Reiji began with a smile still on his face. “My hobby is driving my car around, especially when the weather is nice out.” When none of his group-mates spoke up next, he looked to Ai. 

“My hobbies are people watching and gathering data on things I don't quite understand.” Ai finally spoke up due to a look that Reiji had given him. 

“Ran-Ran?”

“My hobby is napping, especially when it's rainy out. The rain is soothing.” Ranmaru explained simply. He didn't want to participate honestly. Reiji nodded his head and then looked to Camus. The man sighed and began to speak. 

“My hobby is riding my horse.” Camus reluctantly stated. That for some reason caused Shiori to burst into laughter. Everyone began to look at her in question and she finally spoke up after a moment of recollecting herself. 

“That makes you sound so pretentious.” To Shiori's words, Camus frowned and glared at her. However, it was Adryn who spoke up next. 

“Stop trying to pick a fight with Camus. You're being obnoxious.” Adryn snapped at the blonde girl. Shiori was taken aback for a moment before she responded. 

“Mind your own damn business!”

“This is literally my home, and these are my guests. Whatever happens in my home to my guests is most definitely my business, and trying to start a fight with one of my guests is obviously not going over well with me.” 

“Shiori, you are the one out of line and you need to stop,” Eclipse spoke up as Shiori was gearing up to say something else to Adryn. 

“Piss of, Eclipse.” Shiori snapped immediately, which caused Precious, who'd entered a little bit ago to start to growl at the blonde girl.

“Now, now. Everyone should get along and not fight with each other.” Reiji spoke up, bringing himself into the conversation. 

“How about you mind your own business?” Shiori responded in a bitchy way. That instantly re-triggered Adryn. “I won't get along with Adryn for as long as I live.”

“Then die.” Adryn's harsh and angry words cut through everyone and caused silence to fall upon the group. Shiori was clearly shocked at that, but she slowly grew angry and then finally responded. 

“Do everyone a favor, and succumb to your mental illness and kill yourself.” Shiori's words to Adryn infuriated the redhead. So, Adryn hopped down from the seat she was on and made a move towards the blonde, but before she could get anywhere, Eclipse and Nova stepped in front of the two girls. As Shiori was now approaching Adryn as well. 

“Nothing gives you the right to tell another person, no matter who it is, to kill themselves.” Eclipse snapped at Shiori as she protectively stood in front of Adryn. The redhead then suddenly got an overwhelming sense of nausea. Which caused Adryn to put a hand to her mouth as she held back the sickness. Before anyone could say anything, Adryn was out of the room and heading elsewhere. 

“What just happened?” Shiori questioned curiously as she watched Eclipse run out of the room after the redhead. The guys in the room as well were wondering what just happened. “Was she that upset that I told her to kill herself?” 

“It isn't any of your business.” Nova instantly stated to the other girl. Nova then sighed and began to go back to what she was doing before the fight went down. This seemed to confuse the members of QUARTET NIGHT. 

“Is Adryn going to be alright?” Reiji questioned, as he looked towards the door that the redhead and the pink-haired girl had run out of.

“Um... Adryn will be alright.” The tone of voice Nova used seemed to make the situation worse. She didn't sound too confident in her own words. Even so, Reiji didn't say anything else. He just looked to his group mates and frowned at them. He could see on their faces that they were just as confused as Reiji was, but no one decided to say anything more about it. “Look Reiji, it's alright, so let's just get back to cooking, and whatever the others were doing.” 

“Alright, sure.” Reiji was back to smiling, even though he was a little hesitant to do so. He didn't show it, but the words that Shiori had said to Adryn had upset him as well. 

Eventually, the food was done and Nova had called to Eclipse and Adryn on the intercom of the house. They took their time returning to the kitchen, but soon, Eclipse entered the room. 

“Where is Adryn?” Shiori questioned as she set the food down on the table that was now set and ready for the group. 

“She will eat later.” Eclipse simply explained as she sat down next to Ai. 

“Is she alright?” Reiji voiced his concern once again. Eclipse just smiled at him as she responded. 

“Don't worry, she just has a migraine and isn't feeling too well. She's laying down in her room with Serenity.” Reiji had to take Eclipse's words as truth and said no more. He sat down at the table then, followed by the others who weren't already seated. It seemed like nothing was wrong with the others, but for some reason, Reiji was greatly worried about Adryn. He had a lot of questions that he wanted to be answered, but he knew that he'd have to wait to get those answers until later. He just hoped that when he asked his questions, Adryn would be forthcoming and honest with him. He wanted to be her friend and wanted her to know that he would be there for her.


	5. Reality

Once everyone was done eating, they cleaned up their messes. Eclipse volunteered Shiori to do the dishes. It was technically Adryn's turn, but since she wasn't there, it fell to Shiori. The blonde made a fuss, but ultimately did her job with the help of Reiji. As soon as everything was done, Nova looked to the wall clock and smiled happily. 

“Hey, we have plenty of time. Eclipse, go get Adryn. Let's break off into our groups and start working.” Nova spoke up to the group.

“That's a good idea, but is it alright to wake Adryn up when she isn't feeling well?” Reiji questioned as he looked to Eclipse. 

“She should be alright by now. I'll go wake her up and bring her to the living room by the entrance. That's where you guys can go to wait for us.” Eclipse responded simply as she left the room. Eclipse, with Precious following behind her, made her way to Adryn's room. She knocked on the door first, only to get an immediate response. 

“You can come in, Eclipse. It's alright, I'm awake.” Adryn's voice came from inside the room. So, Eclipse opened the room and entered with her cub following behind her. Precious quickly ran to Serenity and pounced on her. The two cubs began to roll around on the floor as Eclipse made her way to Adryn's bed. 

“How are you feeling? You up to working?” 

“Yeah, I should be alright,” Adryn responded as she sat up in her bed. “I had taken my pills and now feel just fine. Well, as fine as I can get. I just hope that I don't have many more episodes around them. I don't really want it to get out.” 

“Yeah, I agree. I know you don't like people in your business. Nova and I will do our best to keep any questions from them to a minimum.” 

“Thank you, Eclipse. You are a really good friend.” Adryn then slowly got up out of bed and followed Eclipse to the living room where everyone else was. Adryn and Eclipse walked slowly due to the redhead. She hadn't fully woken up and her body was still trying to sleep. However, the two women eventually did make it to the living room with the others. 

“Adryn!” Nova cried out happily as she jumped up from her chair. She hurried to the redhead and hugged her. “How are you feeling?” 

“I'm fine now.” Adryn smiled at Nova, patting her on her head. Nova was taller than Adryn so it was a little odd for the others to watch, but no one said anything about it. 

“I'm glad you're feeling better. You had us worried.” Reiji spoke up as he stood up with a smile on his face. Hearing his words, Adryn looked to him seemingly embarrassed.

“Oh, um, well thank you for worrying about me.” Adryn didn't want anyone else to say anything, so she shook off Nova and turned fully to Reiji. “You ready to start working?”

“Of course!” Reiji was his bubbly self once more. 

“We'll head to the theater. Where is everyone else going to go?” Adryn questioned as she turned to the others around the room.

“Ai and I will head to the living room near the theater,” Eclipse spoke up as she looked to Ai to see if he was alright with that. He nodded his head in agreement, prompting Nova to then begin talking. 

“We'll head to the entrance hall. It's where I usually like to go to sing to myself. That alright, Ran-Ran?” Despite the name, Ranmaru nodded his head. 

“Alright then, Camus, and I will go to the back deck,” Shiori said as she hopped up from the seat she had been sitting in. 

Why the back deck?” Camus questioned simply as he stood up. 

“I just don't want to be around the others.” To Shiori's comment, Camus nodded his head in understanding. 

“Alrighty then. We'll meet up a little later. Good luck everyone!” Nova happily spoke up as she motioned for Ranmaru to follow her. Shiori walked out of the room, leaving Camus to follow after her silently. This was followed by Eclipse and Ai leaving the room, already discussing their music and opinions. 

“Follow me. It's easy to get lost in here without a guide.” Adryn said to Reiji. She said it so seriously that Reiji wasn't sure if she was joking or not. The only hint that she was joking was the small smirk on her face that was barely detectable. “You coming?” Adryn turned to look at Reiji when she realized that he wasn't walking right behind her. 

“Oh, yup!” Reiji then began to walk towards the woman. Adryn then began to lead the man through the house until they reached the theater room. It wasn't that far of a walk, but with Adryn walking slowly it seemed to take forever. Reiji wanted to ask her if she was alright, but he wasn't sure if she'd respond to him or not, and if she did, he doubted that she'd be honest. It seemed like a running theme for the women of PURGATORY to be vague with their answers. 

“Well, here we are. Where do you want to sit?” 

“Anywhere is fine.”

“Alright. We'll sit in the front. There is more light up there anyway along with tables that have random paper and pencils or pens.” Adryn then walked to the front of the theater room down the stairs and to the tables. “We have random ideas that come to us while watching movies and shows. We always need to have paper and writing utensils around just for that reason.” 

“Ah, that makes sense. That's a real good idea.” Reiji then looked around at the tables and was shocked. The tables were a mess. There was no order to it at all. Random pens were laying around, some on the floor along with paper thrown about and pencils just everywhere. 

“I know what you're thinking, Reiji. It's a mess, right? The last time we were all in here, Shiori and I got into an argument and I guess this was the result of it. I always wanted to come back and clean up but I never got around to it. I guess while we were cleaning up last week, we all missed this room.” 

“Why do you and Shiori fight so much?” Reiji's question caused Adryn to pause, but then she just began to go through the papers. She pulled some out that were already used and picked them up off the floor, but she gave no hint that she was about to verbally respond to Reiji. “You don't want to talk about it, do you?” He could understand that. It wasn't like the men of QUARTET NIGHT had been getting along together for the whole time. It was only in the past year that they'd began to even get along. They'd come a long way, but there were still issues and arguments every now and then. Even so, the women of PURGATORY seemed to mostly get along, except for Shiori. 

“Listen, it's hard to explain. I don't really want to waste our work time explaining something so stupid and difficult.” Adryn had paused in her cleaning to turn and face Reiji. “I don't want you to think that I am not telling you just because I don't want to though. It's really a troublesome story and I would rather not get into it yet.” 

“I have to unlock that level of friendship?” To Reiji's question, Adryn burst out into laughter. She just nodded her head and went back to cleaning. This time though, Reiji began to help her organize the papers and collect the pens and pencils. Once their pre-work was done, they sat down and began to talk. 

“So, how do we want to go about this? It's unusual for me to talk about my thoughts. Usually, the 4 of us just do our own stuff and then come together to figure out who's song gets to be our next song.” 

“That's an... interesting process.” Reiji was trying to be kind and not question it, but Adryn saw right through him. 

“It's alright. I know it's weird. Sometimes Eclipse, Nova, and I will write something together, but it's honestly rare that Shiori is in on it. She likes to pick fights with me too often for us to get much work done together.” Reiji wanted to respond to her, but Adryn just shook her head. “Anywho, I like to write emotional story-like songs, like songs that have emotion and a story behind it. I like to tell stories anyway I can.” Adryn finished her sentence by chuckling with a genuine smile on her face. Immediately after that, Adryn frowned. 

“Are you alright?” Reiji was truly concerned for the woman. 

“Yeah, I just...” Adryn then thought to herself. 'I'm just not used to showing that side of me to someone I hardly know.' “Let's just get back to work, alright?” 

“Okay.” Reiji wasn't sure how to handle Adryn. He'd never been around someone like her before. “I think a song with an emotional story would be great!” Reiji quickly went back to his normal self, but he still had questions. 

“Let's go with a fast-paced song. It isn't something I usually do and I am interested in doing them. I don't know why, but when I write songs, it's usually slow-paced.” Reiji just nodded his head in agreement and understanding. 

“Do you have any lyrics yet in your head? You said you like to tell stories, so I'm sure you have a few lines that are just waiting to get out.” 

“I do actually. They've been in my head for a little while but I haven't had any songs that I could use them for.” Adryn then picked up a pencil and began to write a few words down. “One of the lyrics would have to be 'When the sky falls down, by your side if where I'd want to be' along with 'No matter when and how I leave you, I want you to know I'll be there for you always, even in spirit'. Or stuff like that.” Adryn was a little embarrassed to speak her lyrics out loud to someone she hardly personally knew. While Adryn was embarrassed and looking down at the paper with her words, she didn't notice that Reiji had a look of concern on her face.” 

“Those are... dark. Is everything alright?” Reiji's question caused Adryn to look up at him in shock. “Actually, I have another question if that's alright? What did Shiori mean when she said for you to 'succumb to your mental illness and kill yourself'? Adryn frowned at Reiji and sighed. 

“Well, I am bipolar and have bad depression. For the most part, I'm handling everything well... um, well kind of, other than a few things that have only come up recently.” 

“What-” Before Reiji could get his sentence out, Adryn stood up.

“Do you want to go to my music room so we can start working on some music for our song?” Adryn asked that, but in her eyes, Reiji could see her pleading with him to not question her anymore. 

“Sounds good, lead the way. After all, I'll get lost without you guiding me.” Reiji smiled at the girl, as he could clearly see that Adryn looked relaxed. Adryn then nodded her head and motioned for Reiji to follow her. The man grabbed the piece of paper with Adryn's writings on it and hurried after her. 

“My music room is just above where my bedroom is. It's where I usually spend my time when I want to be alone. Not many people enter it without my permission and I hardly give anyone permission to enter it.” 

“Is it alright for me to be in there then?” 

“Of course, don't be silly.” Adryn chuckled mostly to herself as she began to walk up some stairs. Reiji couldn't help but smile as Adryn was acting a bit more relaxed around him now. He'd been worried that she wouldn't let her guard down with him and that it would make writing a song with her more difficult.

Soon enough, they were standing at the door to the music room. Adryn pulled out her keys and opened it up before stepping aside to allow Reiji to walk into the room. The man made a note of something important he noticed. On Adryn's keyring, a little Reiji was hanging there. He'd only seen himself on the key ring for a split second, but he'd know himself anywhere. He just chose to not say anything about it. 

“Alright, let's sit at the piano and get to work!” Reiji happily spoke up as he walked past Adryn and headed to the piano. Adryn closed the door behind her and turned the lights on before following Reiji to the piano. 

Once at the piano, Adryn and Reiji began to talk music. Adryn would play a certain couple of notes for Reiji, and if he liked them they'd continue with that specific batch of notes. If not, then they'd move on. It took a little while but eventually, the two of them finished their song and even had it written down on paper. 

“All that's left is to write the lyrics. Then we'll have a great song.” Adryn spoke up happily. 

“It already is a great song. Lyrics will just make it all the more better.” Reiji responded with just as much enthusiasm as Adryn. The two then looked up from the papers in between then with the song on them. It took Adryn a full 2 seconds to realize how close her face was to Reiji's. Adryn instantly jerked backward away from the man. “Are you alright?” 

“Sorry, it's just that getting too close to someone I admire makes me super nervous,” Adryn spoke up without thinking, but as soon as she finished talking, her face went completely red. Reiji then just chuckled at Adryn and patted her back.

“Don't worry Adryn, you don't need to be so nervous around me.”

“No, no, I do need to be this nervous.” 

“Hmm? Why?” Reiji questioned Adryn, but before she could say anything, the door to the music room opened. 

“Why are you two so close together?” Eclipse asked suddenly. Causing Adryn to jolt backward. Jolting backward caused the seat Adryn and Reiji were sitting on to tip over. This then sent the two adults onto the ground, with Reiji trying to catch Adryn, but landing on her instead. “Adryn!” Eclipse and Ai instantly hurried to the two on the ground. 

“Oh gosh...” Reiji instantly got off of Adryn and was panicking. He wasn't sure if he should touch her or help her up or not. However, he got shoved aside by Eclipse. 

“Adryn, are you alright?” Eclipse questioned in a panic. The redhead was completely red now due to Reiji being on her a few moments ago. Adryn sat up and didn't say a word, but allowed Eclipse to help her up. Meanwhile, Ai helped Reiji to his feet. “Seriously, say something, are you okay?” Eclipse was checking Adryn over for any injuries or blood. 

“I'm alright.” As soon as the words left Adryn's mouth, blood began to pour from her nose. She took a step backward holding out her arm for Eclipse to grab. “I don't feel so good actually.” 

“What's wrong? Did I hurt you?” Reiji was again in a panic. However, this time Eclipse remained calm. It was like she was expecting this and pulled out tissues from her pocket. 

“Here, you know what to do.” To Eclipse's words, Adryn nodded her head. “Reiji, fix the seat and move it to the wall.” Reiji nodded his head and did as she said. Adryn then sat down and leaned forward with the tissues to her nose. “Alright, now Reiji go get more tissues. We'll need a lot of them.” 

“R-Right!” Reiji hurried off in search of tissues. Ai remained there, watching everything go down. He didn't want to get in the way, and he also wanted to just watch everything. He was trying to figure out why Adryn was reacting to hitting her head in such a way. 

“How do you feel?” 

“Like I'm gonna throw up.” 

“What is going on? Is everything alright with her?” Ai was trying to form a conclusion, but there wasn't enough information. 

“Ai, can you leave the room?” Eclipse asked kindly but sternly. 

“Of course.” With that, Ai left the room, only to hear Eclipse shuffle around the room. Eclipse grabbed the trashcan and as soon as it was in front of Adryn, the redhead began to empty her stomach. On the outside of the room, Reiji returned with tissues only for Ai to stop him from entering. Before Reiji could question him, he began to hear the situation. 

Everyone else must have heard the commotion because soon enough, Reiji and Ai saw Nova and Shiori hurrying towards them, with Camus and Ranmaru behind them. As soon as Nova reached the door, she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, only to hear Adryn throwing up. 

“Oh god...” Nova gasped as she burst into the room, slamming the door and locking it behind her. 

“What's the problem? Is something wrong?” Shiori questioned as she looked to Reiji. The man then proceeded to tell the group what had happened and how it led to the situation now. 

“You know, yesterday when we got here, I was outside of the cubs' room and heard Adryn and Eclipse talking about something. If I heard correctly, they were talking about Adryn's health issues and if she was going to be able to stop her symptoms from showing to us.” Ranmaru spoke up after Reiji was done with his explanation. 

“It is clear that the three of them, Adryn, Eclipse, and Nova, are hiding something from all of us. I believe that I know what's going on.” Ai said as he looked towards the now locked door. 

“What do you think?” Reiji questioned his friend. 

“The headaches that Adryn gets, throwing up and nausea that she feels are pointing to a sickness that may be serious.” 

“You know, Adryn has been in and out of the hospital for a little while but no one would tell me what was going on. Every time I asked, I was yelled at.” Shiori mentioned as the thought came to her. Shiori then opened her mouth to speak again, but Ai cut her off. 

“It went silent in the music room,” Ai mentioned moments before the door opened revealing a panicking Nova and Eclipse. 

“What happ-” Reiji was cut off by Eclipse speaking up.

“Adryn passed out, we need to get her to a hospital without causing a scene.” Eclipse said in a hurry. Eclipse was a bit calmer than Nova was, as the lilac haired girl was in full-blown tears. Eclipse was just clearly panicking. 

“I'll drive, but only Adryn can fit in the backseat with someone in the front with me.” 

“I'll go. Nova, you stay here and I'll call you with updates.” Eclipse responded after Reiji's offer. Instantly, the group moved into action. Reiji and Eclipse carried Adryn carefully to his car and then drove off as fast as legally possible. “Listen, once we get there, can you stay in the car?” 

“What? I can't do that.” Reiji was a little harsh, not meaning to be, but he was worried at that moment in time and it came out a little wrong. 

“Thought so.” Eclipse couldn't help but smile at the man, but there was a deep sadness in her eyes. Reiji was too nervous to question it, so he focused on driving. Eventually, they made it to the hospital and park the car. Once the car was parked, Eclipse and Reiji carried the unconscious Adryn into the hospital. “We need help!” Eclipse cried out, gathering the attention of the workers there. 

“What's wrong?” A nurse hurried to the side of Reiji and Eclipse. Behind her, other workers were bringing a stretcher to them. 

“She had a seizure.” Eclipse simply stated as she tried to ignore the horrified look on Reiji's face. “She hit her head, was throwing up, and had a nose bleed before the seizure.” 

“We'll get her to a doctor right away, please wait in the waiting room.” The nurse and the other workers began to roll Adryn back into the main part of the hospital to meet up with a doctor. 

“Wait! She has a condition that is most likely the cause of this.” Eclipse seemed to catch them before they were too far, causing the doctor that now met up with them to pause. 

“What is it? Can you be more specific?” The male doctor questioned immediately. 

“It's...” Eclipse paused to look at Reiji, like she didn't want to say anything in front of him.

“If this is important, we need to know now!” The doctor was clearly not pleased with Eclipse being hesitant. 

“Adryn has a brain tumor. I just can't remember what it's called specifically. It starts with an “M” though.” 

“Meningioma?” 

“Yeah! I think that sounds right.” 

“Cancerous or benign?” 

“Cancerous.” Eclipse saw Reiji's face out of the corner of her eye and knew that he had a lot of questions for her now, but they both knew that it would have to wait for now.

“Is she on any treatments for it?”

“No, she didn't want treatment. She didn't want to be cut open or anything like that. She just wanted to live a normal life for as long as she could.” 

“Thank you for the information, we'll keep you updated on how she is.” The first nurse stated before the group took Adryn away into the main part of the hospital.

“Please go wait in the waiting room. There isn't anything else you can do for her now.” Another nurse commented as he hurried past Reiji and Eclipse. So, reluctantly, Eclipse and Reiji moved to where others were seated. A few people clearly were recognizing Reiji and Eclipse, but they understood to not say anything to them by the looks on the two's faces. 

“Why did Adryn keep all this a secret?” Reiji finally questioned after a few moments of quiet between him and Eclipse. 

“She never wanted anyone to know. She only told me, Nova, and my father, because she had to. She especially didn't want anyone of QUARTET NIGHT to know because she didn't want you guys to treat her differently.”

“I can understand that...” Reiji was only ever this nervous and concerned once in his life, and that was when he heard his best friend was missing. He didn't like not knowing what was going to happen like this. He was just getting to break down Adryn's walls, and he couldn't bear to lose the girl now. He looked to Eclipse, who was now texting someone, and wondered if she was just as worried as he was. Even if she was, she was hiding it well. The reality that they'd probably dealt with this situation before was painful to think of. Reiji just hoped that Adryn would make it through this. After all, they had a song to finish. 


	6. Aftermath

After about a few minutes of silence between Reiji and Eclipse, Reiji spoke up. He had about enough of the thoughts and questions swimming around in his head and he needed answers. 

“How many times has Adryn been brought to the hospital over her brain tumor?” Reiji asked with his voice a little low so that none of the people around them could really hear their conversation. He was only now aware that they'd been loud earlier and hoped that no one would say anything about anything. Reiji hoped that Adryn's life wouldn't change too much due to their loud voices earlier. 

“Hmm? Oh, uh, it's been a few times.” Eclipse had been texted Nova and only registered that a question had been asked to her. “Ever since her symptoms started to get worse a few months ago, she's spent a lot of time at a hospital.” 

“When did you find out about her tumor?” 

“Well, Adryn found out about half a year ago when she had a seizure for no apparent reason. You see, until then, we all thought that her behavioral changes were due to her being bipolar. We didn't really think anything was wrong with her, but when we found out, it was hard on all of us and made things a little more understandable. Even so, it was especially hard to think that my best friend was probably going to die sooner than we expected. Well, honestly, we all figured she'd end up doing something reckless like killing herself, but that would be on her terms and not due to something she had no control over. It's different.”

“Why would you think Adryn would kill herself?” Reiji was shocked and saddened to hear that about his new friend. 

“Adryn has had a lot of hard times and nothing seemed to keep her will to live going. To be honest, you guys coming to live with us was something that finally gave Adryn a bit more life.” 

“Every interview I've seen of her, Adryn was happy... or at least content with life... Then again, I couldn't even see the signs in my own best friend.” 

“What do you mean by that, Reiji?” Eclipse was confused so she turned to look at the man but he just shook his head at her.

“Now isn't the time to be talking about my problems.” 

“You know, you're a lot different than I expected you to be. I'm glad that you're a normal person with darkness inside of you after all.” 

“Thank you? But um, what kind of person did you think I was?” 

“I first thought you were a bright and goofy guy, but I figured that you had some type of problems even though you never showed them to anyone. I just don't know what those problems are.” 

“Hmm... If that's what you think, then I can't help but wonder what Adryn thinks of me...” Reiji wondered out loud mostly to himself. 

“I can tell you exactly what she thinks of you. If you want.” 

“Sure.”

“Adryn loves you. Your music drew her in, like a lot of females, but when she began to watch your interviews and other things that you're featured in that showed your personality, she fell for you deeper and deeper.” While Reiji was shocked into silence, Eclipse continued talking. “You know, if it wasn't for you, Adryn probably wouldn't have become an idol. She always had it in her head that if she worked hard enough, then maybe she'd get to meet you and maybe work with you on a song or a show. So, you guys coming to live with us was really a dream come true for her. She got to get to know you and is getting to write a song with you.” Eclipse turned to Reiji and smiled at him. “Adryn always wanted to befriend you but due to her mental illness and then physical illness. She thought there would be no point in it. She figured she'd just die and leave you behind or that she'd drive you away with her personality and health issues.” 

“Oh wow...” Reiji was actually at a loss for words. He wasn't sure how he felt to hear that from Eclipse, but he knew that he had a small fuzzy feeling inside that he couldn't explain. After fully processing everything Eclipse said, he had a thought he needed to get out. “I can't say what I would have done if I'd heard about her health issues in another way, but I know that I'm the type of person that would be there for someone, no matter what as long as they are important to me.” 

“That makes sense.”

“I do have to admit, hearing about her bipolar disorder was a shock, but I don't think any less of her now. It just made me worried for her.”

“You shouldn't tell Adryn if she survives, that you're worried for her. She hates when people worry about her or are just by her side because they feel like they have to due to her mental or physical health.” To Eclipse's comment, Reiji opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the doctor walking into the waiting room. As soon as Eclipse saw him, she stood up, causing Reiji to follow suit. When the doctor saw them, he motioned for them to follow him, so they did. They were led to just outside of the waiting room. 

“I am Dr. Tanaka, Adryn's doctor. Are either of you related to her?” The man, Dr. Tanaka questioned Reiji and Eclipse.

“No, but I am her best friend and have known her since we were children. I am the closest thing to family you're going to get. You have to tell me what is going on with her.” Eclipse spoke up with a little harshness in her voice. Dr. Tanaka looked at Reiji, but Eclipse butted in before anyone else could speak. “He's with me. So please, tell us what's going on with Adryn.”

“... Alright, very well.” The doctor then paused and sighed to himself. He really didn't seem to want to give them any information. “Adryn definitely had a seizure, even so, she's alright for the most part. It wasn't life-threatening.” 

“How long will it take for her to recover?” Eclipse asked simply. 

“It depends on Adryn. She will have some side effects of the seizure for a little bit.” 

“Like what?” 

“Confusion, memory loss, and some difficulty writing and talking. She may also feel depressed, anxious, and other negative feelings.”

“Well, she's bipolar and usually always feels some type of depression and anxiety so that's not anything new.” As Eclipse was talking, a nurse approached and whispered something to the doctor and then left just as quickly as she'd come.

“She's awake. She can only have one visitor and is apparently asking for you.” Dr. Tanaka informed Eclipse.

“Is it alright if I go to Adryn?” Eclipse asked Reiji as she turned to him. 

“Of course. I'll just call Ai-Ai and give him an update.” Reiji responded right away.

“Well, actually... Can you wait? I want Adryn to be able to tell them herself. You can tell them all that Adryn's alive and alright though. Nova is probably freaking out as we speak.”

“Alright, no problem. Tell Adryn I'm glad she's alright.” With that, Reiji watched as Eclipse nodded her head and followed along behind the doctor as he led her to Adryn. 

As soon as they were at the door, Eclipse entered Adryn's room. Adryn was sitting upright in her bed looking out the window a little way away from her. Eclipse watched her for a moment before speaking up.

“How are you feeling?” Eclipse asked simply, Adryn just slowly turned her head to look at her. Adryn had a pained look on her face. 

“I...Um...I don't... not good...” Adryn was clearly struggling to find the right words and convey them to her best friend. “But... better...” Adryn sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself. “Doctor told me I should be careful and get help.” 

“Get help for what? The tumor?”

“Yes... I told him... no.” 

“You can't keep suffering like this, Adryn. The fans are going to find out eventually.”

“I should... just quit then.” To Adryn's words, Eclipse walked over to her friend and flicked her nose.

“No.” Eclipse then smiled softly at Adryn as she looked up confused at Eclipse. “You love being an idol and having fans. You love making music and whatnot. You can't quit. Besides, you've finally gotten close with Reiji and have the chance at being his friend... or more.” Adryn instantly blushed and looked away. 

“That... would never happen. He doesn't... deserve to be with a mess... like me.” 

“You know, I wish you would see that you are more than worthy of someone like Reiji. I know that it's your mental illness talking down to yourself, but still.”

“Hey... How did we get here?”

“Reiji drove us. He says he's glad you're alright, by the way.”

“Drama... How much did I cause?” 

“A lot. Everyone was and is worried about you back at the mansion.” To Eclipse's words, Adryn closed her eyes and sighed. 

“How much do they know?” 

“Unless Nova said something she shouldn't have said, they don't know much of anything.”

“And Reiji? How much does he know?” Adryn opened her eyes again when she realized Eclipse wasn't going to respond to her. She then witnessed Eclipse just shrug. “Where is he?”

“He is still out in the waiting room,” Eclipse responded simply, but when Adryn said nothing to that, she smirked at her friend. “Why? Do you want to see him now?”

“God no.” Adryn gasped out as she began to place her hands on her face and body as if checking to see if everything was there. “I... probably look terrible. Besides... it's hard enough to talk with you... I can't... figure out what to say if it'd be to him.”

“Why not?”

“Everything is fuzzy. Speaking with you... is hard enough.”

“Should I leave and let you rest? I want to talk to the doctor again anyway.”

“Alright... sounds good.”

“I'll see you later. Make sure to keep getting better.” With that, Eclipse walked out of the room and hunted down the doctor. Soon enough, she found Dr. Tanaka and confronted him.

“Ah, hello again. I assume you have questions for me?” Dr. Tanaka spoke up when he saw Eclipse coming over to him. 

“Yes, I have some questions. What is the next course of action for Adryn's recovery?” 

“She needs to stay overnight for observation. So, you can go home and if you give us your phone number, we'll call you in the morning when she can be released.”

“Alright.” Eclipse was handed a clipboard and she wrote her number down instantly. “Um, this is a little weird, but can I ask you to do a favor?”

“What is it?” 

“Can you and your staff make sure to not make any comments on Adryn or her health to anyone, like fans that might show up or the press.” 

“Of course. I already figured you were going to ask this, as one of my nurses already has recognized you three.”

“Thank you.” With that, Eclipse bid farewell to the doctor and headed back to Reiji. As soon as the man watched Eclipse walk back into the waiting room, he stood up. 

“How is she?” Reiji asked instantly once Eclipse was in front of him. 

“She's talking a little slowly but I think rest will help that. Otherwise, she's fine. She had to stay here for the night so we can go home.” To Eclipse's words, Reiji sighed a sigh of relief. “Let's head home. I think we all need some rest.” 

“Alright.” With that, Reiji and Eclipse head to his car. They hurry back to the mansion in silence. As soon as they fully pulled up in the driveway, they watched as Nova ran out of the house and ran to them. Eclipse hardly made it out of the car before Nova was attacking her with questions. 

“How is Adryn? Where is Adryn? Is she alright? She's not dead, is she?!” Nova was clearly still panicking but at least she wasn't crying anymore. 

“Adryn is staying the night at the hospital. She's mostly alright.” Eclipse explained to her terrified sister. Before Eclipse could say anything else, Ai, Ranmaru, and Camus made their way out of the mansion and walked to the two girls and Reiji. 

“So, she's alright,” Ai commented simply. 

“Yeah, and she'll explain everything when she gets home tomorrow. It isn't my place to explain everything that happened and the reasons it happened.” Eclipse explained to the group. 

“You're right, that's why I never said anything no matter how many times they asked me what was going on,” Nova stated proudly to which her sister patted her head as a response. 

“Let's head inside.” The group headed back inside and all just stood there, confused about what to do now. 

“Uh, what should we do now?” 

“We should go back to writing our songs. Reiji, you can join Ai. I need to go clean up Adryn's music room.” Eclipse explained to the group. 

“Alright,” Reiji responded and then he and Ai went off. Ai led Reiji to the living room where he'd been with Eclipse. Once there and seated on a couch, Ai spoke up. 

“Are you alright? You aren't being your normal self.” Ai pointed out simply as he looked to Reiji. That seemed to slap Reiji across the face because he visibly jumped and instantly forced a smile. 

“Awe, Ai-Ai are you worried about me? How sweet!” Reiji responded with a forced smile and forced giddiness in his voice. 

“You can stop faking it.”

“Ran-Ran?” Reiji turned to look at the doorway to see Ranmaru and Camus standing there. 

“We can tell that something is eating away at you.” Ranmaru simply stated. 

“You need to trust us and tell us what is wrong with you, not that there isn't always something wrong with you,” Camus spoke up next to Reiji. Reiji couldn't help but let the smile fall from his face, only for it to return, a real smile though. 

“Thank you guys for being here for me,” Reiji responded, finally sounding normal. “It's just been a stressful day, but something is bothering me. I just... don't know what it is yet.” Reiji then seemed to realize his whole group was there, without their women partners. “Where are Nova and Shiori?”

“We asked them to go help Eclipse so we could have a QUARTET NIGHT meeting in private.” Camus simply told the brown-haired man. 

“Awe, thanks for coming here to cheer me up!” Reiji was sounding normal this time with a normal smile on his face.

“Silence, you fool. We are not here to 'cheer you up'. We're here to tell you to get over it and focus on working.” Camus' words were harsh, but Reiji didn't feel the usual bite behind them. So, Reiji just laughed to himself. 

“Thank you all anyway. It's nice that we're all here for each other.” This time, no one rebuked Reiji's comment. Instead, Ranmaru and Camus sat down on a different couch. They began to chat with each other about their songs and how they were going to proceed going forward. 

Meanwhile, Adryn was still in her hospital bed dwelling on things. She was again looking out her window as she thought. 'I know that I need to get help like Nova and Eclipse keep telling me... but I don't want to get cut up, but I'm going to die otherwise, aren't I?' 

“I wonder though... maybe it's best if I die... I don't want to be a burden anymore...” Adryn then closed her eyes and all she saw was Eclipse, Nova, and even Reiji in her mind's darkness. Seeing Reiji was a shock but a reminder that they still had a song that they needed to write together. “Wow... I am not a good person... am I?” Adryn was disappointed with herself for seeing Reiji and having him give her a reminder to live, rather than her friends. She knew she should be thinking about her best friends rather than a man, but she couldn't help it. “I should... just sleep...” 

With that, Adryn laid down and rolled to her side since she couldn't lay on her stomach at that moment due to it feeling all weird. She just wanted to sleep and not think about the day anymore. She just wanted things to be normal for her, even though she knew that things would never be normal again. 


	7. Getting Closer

The next day, Adryn was awoken by the door to her room opening. A nurse was entering the room to check on her. 

“How are you doing today, Adryn?” The nurse questioned the redhead who was now sitting up in bed. 

“I think I feel a little better.” Adryn found that speaking was much easier for her now. Her head was still a bit fuzzy, but the words were coming to her better. 

“That's good. I'll go let Dr. Tanaka know that you're awake.” 

Thank you.” Adryn watched the woman leave and then the door opened a moment later revealing the doctor. 

“Good morning, Adryn. I hear you're feeling better?” Dr. Tanaka questioned before checking over her chart on his clipboard. Adryn nodded her head to his question and then he began to ask her various other questions. He was just making sure that she was all cleared to go home, to which he eventually ran out of questions. “Alright, I think you should be alright to go home. I'll go call Eclipse.”

“Thank you,” Adryn muttered to the doctor who was already walking out of the door and closing it behind him. Al at once, anxiety set in and hit hard. 'What am I going to tell the others about my situation? Do I have to tell them everything or can I lie to them? No, no, lying to new friends is wrong, so I can't do that.' Adryn was dwelling on things internally again. She didn't even notice another nurse walked into the room until she spoke up.

“Excuse me... Adryn?” It was a younger nurse this time, one about Adryn's age. Hearing her voice made Adryn jolt and look over to her.

“Oh, yes?” 

“I have the clothes you were brought in wearing, but um... they are all wrinkled and the shirt is covered with blood. Don't worry though, Dr. Tanaka is asking Eclipse to bring you a change of clothes.” The nurse then walked over and set the bag of Adryn's ruined clothes down on her bed next to the redhead. 

“Thank you,” Adryn spoke up, but then realized that the nurse wasn't going anywhere. “Um... can I help you?” 

“My name is Mai.” This leaves Adryn completely confused, only for it to hit her a minute later that this girl must have been a fan of hers, Eclipse's or Reiji's. 

“Are you a fan? Of me, or someone that was here with me?” Adryn didn't want to sound too annoyed, but she was. 

“I'm a fan of Reiji's. I just want to know more about him, personal information, and intimate information. I know that you know all types of things about him since he was one of the people who brought you in yesterday.” Mai took a few more steps towards Adryn and her bed, causing alarm bells to go off in Adryn's head. Adryn knew she had to remain calm though because she wasn't sure if this was a crazed fan or not. She wasn't sure if Mai would do anything to her or not as well. 

“I'm really sorry, but I only just met him the other day. I only really know that he is a good person at heart and is a great guy, but those are things you can figure out through interviews and other people who know him. 

“There must be something else going on. He drove you here. That means that you were with him before that.” 

“Eclipse was there too. Plus, it isn't your business what we idols do in our personal time. You should respect our, and especially his, privacy.” Adryn's voice was stern and left no room for arguments. Due to this, Mai started to get a little pissy with Adryn. 

“Look, I know you know him! I want to know more about him! I love Reiji!” Mai yelled at Adryn causing Adryn to glare back at the girl. Immediately after the yelling, another nurse came into the room and pulled Mai away from Adryn. She then began to drag the girl out of the room. 

“I am so sorry for Mai's actions. I promise that she won't say anything about your situation or anything she's seen the past day. Don't worry.” The other nurse stated before both she and Mai left the room, the door closing behind them. 

“Well then. At least that helped clear my mind.” Adryn found that she was able to talk much better and think clearer now. It was like she was able to overcome things due to anger. 

Adryn continued to sit in her bed, waiting for Eclipse to show up. Eventually, Adryn drifted off to sleep but was instantly awoken by the sound of her door opening. She shot up, confused, and looked over to see Eclipse standing there with a bag. 

“Good morning,” Eclipse spoke up to Adryn who was collecting herself. Adryn mustered up a smile and scooted to the end of the bed to eventually get down.

“Morning,” Adryn muttered back to her friend. 

“Here's your clothes.” Eclipse handed Adryn the bag and watched as Adryn hesitantly got down from the bed. She was a little wobbly, but eventually found her footing and was able to stand straight up. “I'll wait outside so you can change.”

“Thank you.” With that, Eclipse walked out of the room and Adryn got out of the hospital attire and back into her own clothes. Once Adryn was done, she walked out of the room and met up with Eclipse. “So, how'd you get here?”

“Reiji drove. I decided that you shouldn't be driving and you don't like the way I drive.” Eclipse explained simply. 

“Oh...” Instantly, anxiety hit the redhead. She hadn't seen Reiji since she started to have a nose bleed, and she could only see the worried look on his face. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to him anymore. 

“Don't worry. He isn't gonna bite you or anything.” Eclipse jokingly bumped the redhead causing her to nervously chuckle. Eclipse knew Adryn was worried about talking with Reiji, so when they got to his car, Eclipse got into the backseat and allowed Adryn to be in the front. Adryn was thrown off but got into the car anyway. As soon as she was buckled in, Reiji began to drive off. 

“So, how are you feeling?” Reiji questioned Adryn as they drove along the road. 

“I am feeling a lot better... but I'm not 100%,” Adryn explained simply as she looked at the man.

“Well, that's good that you're better.” Reiji then smiled at the girl, who felt her heart flutter. So, Adryn turned away to hide her blush as Reiji turned back to look at the road. “Everyone was worried about you. Especially Nova and Serenity. Nova actually had to sleep with Serenity in the cubs' room last night. I heard that Serenity was restless and Nova was worried she'd do something to get hurt.” 

“I see...” Adryn made an instant mental note to remind herself to apologize to her cub. “Reiji?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm really sorry for all the drama I caused yesterday.”

“Think nothing of it. I'm, I mean we're all just glad that it wasn't worse than it was and that you're better now.” 

“Alright, well thank you for driving us around then.”

“I'm just glad to help wherever I can.” Once Reiji was done responding, the car went silent for a few moments. That was until Adryn thought of a question for Reiji.

“Um... How much do you know about my condition?”

“I know a little but not everything.”

“What do you think and feel about my... situation? Do you pity me?” 

“No, of course not.” Reiji was quick to admit honestly. “I am worried about you though and concerned about your well-being.” Immediately, Adryn frowned and Reiji looked a little worried as he eyed her from the side of his eye while still watching the road. 

“You shouldn't be worried about me. My fate is already sealed and I'm going to die, one way or another.” That caused Reiji to fall silent and watch the road more intensely than before. They were nearly home when Eclipse spoke up, breaking the silence.

“You aren't going to die. You're going to be alright because you're going to get help.” Eclipse's voice was calm but it held much worry in it. Adryn's only response is a sigh and to look out the window. 

“Adryn...” Reiji began slowly and hesitantly. He waited until the girl turned to look at him. “The others and myself, we'd be upset if you... succumbed to your illness.” Reiji watched as Adryn's neutral face turned into a grimace. She frowned at Reiji but said nothing to him. The rest of the ride home was in complete silence. However, as soon as they pulled into the driveway, screaming could be heard. 

“Is that my sister?” Eclipse questioned as she looked out the window. Sure enough, Nova was running towards the car, nearly tripping over her feet. As soon as the car was stopped and Adryn stepped out, Nova was literally on her. Nova pounced on Adryn, nearly causing both of them to fall over. Thankfully though, Eclipse was right behind Adryn, catching them. 

“Nova! She's still recovering!” Eclipse scolded her sister as she steadied her and Adryn. Nova giggled and ignored her sister as she began to drag Adryn along with her back to the mansion. 

“Adryn, Serenity was so sad last night. You aren't allowed to do that again, alright?” Nova pretended to scold the redhead. 

“It'll happen again, eventually. I'll just try to not do anything like that in front of you though.” Adryn's response didn't make Nova happy, but she let it go for now. Once inside, Adryn was met with Ai, Ranmaru, Camus, and Shiori standing in the entrance hall. “Oh, hello everyone.” 

“Let's head to the living room closest to us. Adryn will explain everything there.” Eclipse explained as she walked into the mansion behind Adryn and Nova, and next to Reiji. Seemingly agreeing with Eclipse, everyone headed to the living room and took their seats. Ranmaru, Ai, and Reiji sat on one couch, while Camus, Shiori, and Nova sat on the other. Eclipse sat on a chair and Adryn stood in front of everyone. 

“Okay, um... Please save questions until the end of my explanation.” Adryn watched as a few of them nodded their heads in agreement. So, she began her story. “About half a year ago, I found out that I have a cancerous Meningioma; a cancerous brain tumor. I found out when I had a seizure and went to the hospital for the first time since moving here. When they checked to see why I had one, they found it.” Adryn then took a few moments to catch her breath before continuing. “I never wanted anyone to know because no matter what, people will treat you differently when they find out something is wrong with you.”

“What type of treatment are you on?” Ai questioned when it seemed like Adryn was done talking this time. 

“None.”

“Why aren't you being treated?” Ranmaru questioned simply once they all realized Adryn wasn't going to explain anything. 

“I don't want to be cut open or have the remaining life left in me affected and changed by treatments. I just want to live my life out on my own terms.” Adryn explained simply. Her tone clearly seemed to piss off Nova, because a moment later, the lilac-haired girl jumped up and burst out yelling.

“I don't want to watch you wither away and die over something that is completely treatable!” Nova's yelling caused Adryn to go silent, but then anger took over her. 

“Look Nova, no matter what, or how anyone feels, this is my life and my life alone. No one else, not even you or Eclipse have a say in how I go about this tumor.” As Nova sat back down, beginning to tear up and cry over Adryn's words, Shiori stood up angrily. 

“What the hell!? Why did no one tell me about this?! I am a member of PURGATORY as well and I deserved to know that a member of my own group is dying!” Shiori snapped at Adryn, who glared at her in return. 

“Listen, the only reason you're even finding out now is because I'm essentially being forced to since you all witnessed one of my episodes.”

“How can you say that?! I get that we fight a lot but we were friends once!”

“Be quiet and listen.” Adryn's harsh words caused Shiori to fall silent. “Why would I tell anyone about my health when if it got out, it would potentially ruin my career and might even take down PURGATORY as well. Plus, I didn't want anyone to treat me differently.”

“Well, what happens if one day we find you dead?” To Shiori's question, Adryn just shrugged, which seemed to irk Eclipse. 

“Don't think like that. Adryn will fight this and survive.” Eclipse told the blonde girl.

“What if I don't want to survive?” Once those words left her mouth, Adryn spun around and walked out of the room. Mostly everyone in the room was shocked to hear those words come out of her mouth. 

“Why would she say that?” Ai questioned, not having been shocked, just confused by her words. 

“She's a god damn psychopath with mental issues!” Shiori snapped as the shock wore off of her. 

“She does have mental issues. With everything going on though, it's making everything worse for her mental health. Her issues are getting the better of her.” Eclipse explained, as she completely ignored Shiori who was still ranting about Adryn. “Adryn is letting her depression and bipolar disorder run rampant as she isn't taking her pills anymore. She is a little crazy now.” 

“I don't think she's crazy at all. She just needs help.” Reiji spoke up as he found an issue with Eclipse's words. 

“I agree that she needs help, but I honestly believe that she is losing her mind, making her crazy.”

“You should stop talking like that. Adryn is losing her mind, but it's because of the tumor, not because she is crazy.” Nova snapped, choking on her words as tears formed in her eyes. 

“...I'm sorry, Nova. I know those words hurt to hear, but I still believe in them.” 

“Eclipse...” Nova and her sister began to talk to each other, but Reiji wasn't listening to them anymore. He got up from his seat and headed out the door, leaving his QUARTET NIGHT group members confused. 

Meanwhile, Adryn was in the kitchen looking for some food. She realized halfway through her explanation to the group that she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. It has hit her hard that she was starving. So, Adryn went through the freezer and found one of her shrimp and rice bowls. She was about to put it into the microwave when Reiji walked in. 

“What are you doing?” Reiji questioned the redhead who just paused and turned to look at him. 

“I'm just cooking some food,” Adryn muttered as she looked to the bowl in her hand. 

“Heating some food up isn't cooking,” Reiji smirked at her teasingly. 

“It's close enough!” Adryn retorted with a laugh. 

“How about I make you some actual food?” 

“As long as it involves shrimp and rice, then alright.” Reiji nodded his head to Adryn's words and approached her. He then took the frozen dinner out of her hand and put it back in the freezer. 

“You shouldn't be eating this type of stuff, you know? It's not healthy.” 

“I can eat what I want.” Adryn pouted to being scolded by Reiji. The man couldn't help but laugh and nod his head. 

“You're right. You're an adult but still, it isn't good to eat frozen dinners.” 

“I was practically raised on frozen dinners and I'm in love with the shrimp and rice bowls.”

“Trust me, I'll make you a better shrimp and rice bowl.” 

“Alright, you better not fail me,” Adryn spoke with a laugh. She then felt a nuzzle on her leg and looked down to see Serenity there.

“You sit down with Serenity, I'll get started on your food.” Reiji then turned to the refrigerator and went to work. So, Adryn nodded her head and sat down with her cub. She was petting Serenity's head and rubbing under her chin when Reiji spoke up again. “Is Serenity still upset?”

“Yeah, she is a little bit but only because she was worried about me, and I guess she still is. Serenity can sense the swirling emotions that reside in me but she knows that she can't do anything about them.”

“Why is Serenity able to sense stuff inside of you?” Reiji paused in whatever he was doing to look at Adryn and the cub. 

“All animals can sense their owners' issues like that. It just takes a close bond is all.”

“It must be nice to have a bond like that with someone...”

“Do you have any bonds like that?” Adryn's question was innocent enough, but Reiji had nothing to say to it. So Adryn continued talking. “I used to have that type of bond with Eclipse and Nova, but that all changed. At one point, the three of us were extremely close, closer than what we are now.” 

“Oh?” Reiji finally spoke up, prompting Adryn to continue explaining. 

“Nova and I were actually in a relationship before, but once we moved to Korea to be idols, we broke up.” Reiji was visibly shocked to hear that, as Adryn and Nova had never given anything to hint that they'd been together.

“Are you a lesbian?” Adryn surprisingly laughed at that as she shook her head. 

“No, I'm actually pansexual. Meaning I don't see gender, but I see someone's soul. I go after people for who they are and love them for that.” 

“Do you love Nova?” 

“At one point, I did. I don't anymore, she's more like a sister to me, which makes things awkward sometimes.” 

“Does anyone else know about your past relationship with her?” 

“Not many people know because it would supposedly hurt our reputation, which is bullshit.”

“Do you love anyone right now?” Adryn's face instantly broke out into a blush and she made a point to look away to her cub instead of at Reiji.”

“I think so, but I'm not totally sure if it's admiration or actual love quite yet. I've only met him recently.” Reiji couldn't help but smile at Adryn's words, since he knew she was talking about him. “Do you love anyone?” 

“I have in the past, but right now work is my main focus... or at least I thought it was.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Adryn was confused, but her confusion was made worse when Reiji laughed and turned back to what he was doing. After a few moments of silence from Reiji, he spoke up. 

“Thank you for trusting me with your past love story.”

“I trust you a lot, despite only meeting you recently. 

“Well, thank you for trusting me.” 

“I always trust people at first, but most of the time, people show me that it was stupid to trust them. They usually hurt me in some way.” To Adryn's words, Reiji frowned. 

“Are you hurt by people often?”

“Well, recently, I've been the one doing the hurting but yeah, people, like Shiori are constantly hurting me and tearing me down.” I don't always show it but I am hurt by her words and actions. Even Eclipse and Nova hurt me as well.” Adryn then sighed and continued talking. “Sometimes, I feel like I'm a burden to Eclipse and Nova, due to my mental and physical health failing. Sometimes I wish that I could just disappear.” 

“Disappearing would be terrible to them... I know how it feels to have someone you love disappear on you. I wouldn't wish that feeling onto anyone.” Reiji had looked down sadly when he spoke, causing Adryn to feel worried about the man. 

“What do you mean?”

“My best friend disappeared one day. He'd tried to call me, but I was busy and didn't answer. I never heard from him or saw him again after that.” Without saying it, Adryn could hear the guilt in his voice. She knew that he blamed himself for the disappearance of his best friend. 

“I'm really sorry that I brought that pain back up for you.” Adryn looked to Reiji who just turned to look at her. There was still sadness on his face. “I promise you, I have no intention of randomly disappearing on you. I know I'll be dying sooner than expected, but it won't be a sudden thing. I'll be able to let people know about my death before I die.”

“How is that possible? The brain tumor and cancer could cause your death at any time.” To Reiji's question and statement, Adryn just smiled softly at him. Intense worry overtook the man and he was about to question Adryn when Eclipse walked into the kitchen. She was followed by Nova and then the rest of QUARTET NIGHT.

“You're cooking?” Eclipse questioned Reiji, even though the answer was obvious. 

“What are you making?” Nova sniffed the air as she asked. “Is it for all of us?”

“No! He's cooking for me and only me!” Adryn chuckled at the frown that grew on Nova's face. 

“Is that right, Reiji?” Ranmaru questioned his groupmate.

“Yup.” Reiji happily responded.

“You heard him, now shoo!” Adryn waved them off and turned back to Serenity. Pouting, Nova left, followed by the other men. However, Eclipse decided to stay and sit down at the table.

“I'll stay and keep you guys company,” Eclipse spoke as she sat down. “What were you guys talking about?”

“It's a secret,” Adryn responded with a smirk on her face. 

“Hmm. Okay. Well, have you had any more thoughts on your song?”

“Well, we finished the music, but we have no lyrics.” 

“Same here. Ai and I finished our music but still are working on lyrics.”

“Hey, Reiji? After I eat your food, we should work on our lyrics together.” Adryn looked to the man who turned to look over his shoulder at her. 

“You know, I wonder if you should just have a rest day,” Reiji responded, wondering out loud. 

“I'd rather work on our song than dwell on things.”

“Adryn, you always have had problems with resting when you should,” Eclipse muttered as she stood up from her seat. “Reiji, Adryn is your problem now.” With that, Eclipse walked out of the room. 

“What...?” Adryn muttered as she and Reiji looked at each other. Neither knew what Eclipse meant, so they just shrugged. Reiji then went back to cooking and was soon done. Once he was done, he put everything onto a plate and brought eating utensils over to Adryn. 

“Alright, enjoy!” Reiji happily watched as Adryn got up from the floor and headed to the table where he'd put the food. Adryn shooed Serenity away before sitting down. Once she sat down, Adryn picked up the utensils and nearly began to eat, but paused. 

“Um... Are you just going to sit there and watch me eat?” 

“Yeah?”

“How about no? Get something to eat with, we're sharing this.” Adryn's tone left no arguments from the man, besides, he was a little hungry too. Once Reiji was back at the table, the two began to eat the shrimp and rice dish together. “Oh wow, this is better than my frozen dinner!”

“See, I told you so!” Reiji responded with a laugh. Adryn returned his laughter with some of her own. The two just laughed for a few moments before they went back to eating. Soon enough, they were done with the food and cleaning up the kitchen. 

“Thank you for making me food, I really appreciate it. It feels like forever since I ate something I actually liked. Plus, your kindness is insane to me. I don't get many people being this nice to me too often.” Adryn then yawned and sighed to herself. She wasn't happy that she was tired. 

“Maybe you should go take a nap and sleep the rest of the day away,” Reiji suggested simply as he saw the woman sway on her feet. 

“I'll take a nap, sure, but wake me up for dinner. I don't like sleeping all day.” 

“Sure thing!” Once Reiji agreed, Adryn bid him farewell and headed up to her room. She instantly went inside, locked her door, and headed to her bathroom. She knew she needed to shower to get all the grime off of her before she got into bed. After her shower was over and she was decently dry, Adryn climbed into bed. 

“Dammit...” Adryn had laid down, but sleep didn't come as fast as she thought, so she decided to pull out her phone. Once on her phone, she went onto Tumblr and began to look at pictures of her favorite characters from otome games that she played. After about a half-hour of this, she felt sufficiently happy and relaxed enough to fall asleep. So, Adryn set her phone aside and laid comfortably down to sleep. Her last thoughts before sleep overtook her was that she hoped Reiji wasn't just begin kind to her due to her illness. 


	8. Truths

While Adryn slept, Reiji returned to the living room where everyone had been before he and Adryn left to eat food. However, it was empty with no one in sight. Well, there was someone, to be more specific, there was Serenity seated on one of the couches. This stopped Reiji in his tracks. 

“Oh, hello there Serenity. Are you allowed to be on the couch?” Reiji questioned the cub as he walked over to her. Serenity's only response was to glare up at the man or at least that's what Reiji thought she was doing. “Is it alright if I sit with you?” Serenity just huffed but didn't do anything more, so Reiji took that as a good sign and sat down next to the cub. He hesitantly reached out and began to pet the cub's head. When Serenity leaned into his touch, he began to speak to her. “You know Serenity, it was shocking to hear all that from Adryn earlier, but I'm glad and I'm grateful for Adryn's trust. I'm grateful that she trusts me enough to talk about her personal life like that. I'm more shocked though that I told her about Aine.” Reiji trailed off as he looked to the cub who was just soaking up his attention on her. 

“What are you talking about?” Reiji jumped and looked to the doorway. There stood Nova looking confused. 

“What do you mean?” Reiji wasn't sure which part of his conversation with Serenity Nova was meaning.

“What did Adryn tell you about herself?” Reiji was a little relived that Nova meant the Adryn part, not the Aine part. 

“Adryn told me about you and hers relationship and the fact that she is pansexual.” Hearing this from Reiji, Nova took a step back as she was reeling from the shock. She'd never expected Adryn to mention either of those things to Reiji, especially because she was in love with him and to Nova, any normal man would turn and run after hearing that. 

“Not even Shiori knows about that stuff!” Nova was almost offended, but shook it off instantly. “I'm just surprised at this turn of events. I'm the open one about my sexuality as a lesbian. Though, I haven't been able to be as open because I'm an idol. Some fans know though and are keeping it quiet for my sake. However, Adryn on the other hand never wanted to talk about her sexuality or anything about it.”

“How come?” Reiji's question to him didn't warrant laughter, but Nova began to laugh regardless. 

“That's funny, acting like you don't understand.” This left Reiji even more confused and it showed clearly on his face. “You. It's because Adryn was never sure of how you would react and she didn't want to scare you off.”

“What?” More confusion for the man.

“Adryn has been infatuated with you for a while now and would be totally heartbroken if you rejected her for who she is. So, you see now why it was so surprising and truly amazing that she opened up with you so soon. It's probably not a good sign though, she most likely wanted you to push her away or something like that.”

“I would never push someone away for who they are or who they love.” Reiji wanted to address that immediately as he didn't want Nova to get the wrong idea about him. Then though, he realized that Nova had said something important that he didn't register at first. “What do you mean that she's been infatuated with me for awhile now?” To this, Nova laughed again like it was hilarious or something. 

“Adryn is in love with you. Romantically. I thought my sister explained that to you?” Reiji thought back on the waiting room conversation he'd had with Eclipse and remembered that she did say something like that. 

“I thought she meant that Adryn loved my music and me in a fan way.”

“Nope. You dunce. She loves you like a woman loves a man. She is just good at hiding it. Surely you've noticed how she acts around you though, unless you really are an idiot.” With those harsh words from the usually kind woman, Nova began to leave. She then paused and called Serenity to follow her, to which the cub jumped down and followed her, leaving Reiji all alone in the room.

Reiji was left to think about everything he was then told. Things began to make sense now. Adryn had told him that she needed to be nervous around him and had went red and panicked when they were close together. That had actually led to the accident that led to the episode she'd had. Then, guilt took over Reiji as he though that he could have been the reason Adryn had the episode. 

“No, that's not right.” Reiji muttered to himself as he shook his head, to clear the thoughts from him. 

“Why are you talking to yourself and shaking your head like a dog?” Another jump from Reiji and a sharp turn to the doorway again, only to see Camus standing there. 

“I had a thought that I needed to get out of my mind.” 

“You actually have real thoughts?” Reiji just smiled through Camus' harsh question.

“What are your thoughts about the women of PURGATORY?”

“I can't stand the woman I have been paired with. She is fake and annoying. Not to mention stuck up.”

“You should be making friends with Shiori, not insulting her behind her back.”

“You asked.” Camus stated with an annoyed tone. “Besides, what about you and Adryn?” 

“Huh?”

“How do you feel about how she feels about you?” Reiji then realized that Camus had heard the conversation between Reiji and Nova just moments ago.

“Honestly, I have no opinion. I haven't had the chance to think too much about it, but... I do feel honored that someone loves me like that.” 

“How do you feel towards her?”

“I like her as a friend and as an idol, but I haven't had time to really get to know her to like her anymore than that.”

“Be careful with this situation. You both are idols, remember that. No romance allowed.” Reiji just chuckled at Camus' words of warning. 

“Don't worry. My job, being an idol is first in my life. Besides, Adryn's priorities should be staying alive, not romance.”

“Hmm.” Camus gave Reiji a suspicious look before leaving the room. This left Reiji alone again, so he decided to lean back against the couch. 'How do I feel about Adryn loving me, not just as a fan?' Reiji then closed his eyes in thought, and without fully realizing it himself, the man drifted off to sleep. 

“Hey, wake up Reiji.” This was all the man heard as he felt himself being shook by someone. Slowly, Reiji opened up his eyes and visible confusion was written on his face when he saw who was waking him up. It was Adryn. “Hey, there sleepyhead. It's time for dinner. You fell asleep so Eclipse woke me up and told me to come wake you up.” Adryn informed the man, as his confusion drifted away and sleepy mind slowly woke up. 

“Oh... I'm sorry for not waking you up.” Adryn just laughed at him and shook her head. 

“No problem. It seemed like you needed a nap like I did, but why did you decide to sleep on the couch. It can't be comfortable.”

“I didn't intend to sleep at all. I was talking with Serenity, then Nova and then Camus, but then everything went blank.” Reiji explained causing Adryn to be curious. 

“What did you talk about with them all?”

“You.”

“Why?” Adryn was instantly concerned. 

“Nova set some things straight with me.” With that, Reiji stood up causing Adryn to be more confused. “Let's go get some food.” Reiji began to leave the room, but paused for Adryn since she wasn't following him. When she realized he was waiting for her, she hurried up and caught up with him. The two then began to walk to the kitchen. 

“While I slept, I had a weird dream. It was about cats taking over the world and murdering the humans or keeping them as slaves for the cats. It freaked me out a little bit.” 

“Ran-Ran would have a problem with that. He loves cats and are weak to them.” Reiji laughed as he spoke which caused Adryn to join in and laugh as well. 

“Same here.” Adryn admitted through her laughter. The two were then at the kitchen and entered it, only to be met with an angry Nova. 

“Hey! You two took so long and were holding up dinner! What are you laughing about?!” Nova scolded the two of them causing their laughter to die. 

“Sorry.” Both Reiji and Adryn responded simply before heading to their seats. Now that everyone was there, everyone began to eat. During eating, Adryn told the rest of the group about her dream. 

“I wonder how all of you would react in that world with cats ruling over us.” Adryn wondered out loud to the group. 

“I'd probably die trying to pet their cat leader or something like that.” Nova admitted with a chuckle. 

“I'd be terrified of all of them and probably try to hide or try to at least.” Shiori spoke up next. 

“I'd befriend them and have an army of my own.” Eclipse simply stated causing Nova and Adryn to laugh. 

“Cats cannot outsmart humans and rule over them at any point.” Ai said, causing frowns to appear on Nova and Shiori's faces. 

“It's a stupid, meaningless dream. I wouldn't do anything.” Camus' harsh words caused the two women's frowns to deepen.

“You'd be murdered by the cats first because you give off dog lover vibes.” Adryn informed the man who glared at her in return. 

“I don't know how I'd end up in that world.” Ranmaru stated, ignoring the tension in the room now. 

“Ran-Ran, you'd be their human leader. You love cats and they love you. So they'd never be able to hurt you.” Reiji said with a laugh. Ranmaru secretly agreed with that but didn't outwardly said anything. “I'd probably be killed by going up against their cat overlord.” Adryn, Nova and Shiori laughed at Reiji's statement making the man smile. He then realized that Adryn went back to eating, without telling how she'd exist in that world. “How about you, Adryn? How would you live in that world?”

“I wouldn't. I wouldn't be around for it.” Adryn simply stated. 

“Stop being so negative. It's going to bring everyone down.” Eclipse told the redhead harshly. 

“I can't help but be negative when that's all I know! There are hardly any reasons to be positive, especially with death looming over me at all times!” Adryn responded by snapping at her best friend. 

“Go get help then!”

“I don't want or need help! I want to die on my own terms!”

“Meaning what?!”

“I will kill myself when I feel ready to!”

“You have a lot to live for! A lot of people love you!” 

“It's selfish to make someone stay in this world when they clearly don't want to and aren't meant to survive!”

“Killing yourself would be even more selfish!”

“Then maybe I'm a selfish person, because nothing is going to stop that day, when I leave this world, from coming!” Adryn then stood up and grabbed her food. “Excuse me. I'm going to eat elsewhere.” With that, Adryn was out of the kitchen before anyone could say anything more. Everyone was left in shock and stunned silence. Nothing happened for a few moments before Nova burst out into tears causing Eclipse to just get more angry. 

“I'm really sorry for Adryn making a scene.” Eclipse spoke up as she tried to calm her sister down. 

“It isn't her fault. There is a lot going on in her head. Not that anyone could understand that, unless they were in her shoes.” Reiji spoke up as he stood up from his seat. He grabbed his food and followed after Adryn. This left them all in more shock than before. Reiji hurried after the woman who ended up outside on the back deck. She was in a lounge chair, nibbling on her food. “Hey Adryn.” She just looked up at him with a frown on her face. “Can I join you?” 

“Sure.” Adryn responded simply as she looked back to her food. Reiji decided to sit in the lounge chair next to her. 

“Are you okay?”

“I don't know what came over me back there, but I do know that I feel a lot better now.” Adryn then looked to Reiji and he could see that she did feel a little better. “I'm really sorry for snapping at her, I didn't mean to do that in front of everyone.”

“It's understandable. You've got a lot going on.” 

“Why are you being so kind to me? It doesn't make sense to be kind to someone you hardly know.” 

“I know you enough to know that you deserve kindness.” Reiji sounded genuine, but it was hard for Adryn to fully believe him. 

“Do you pity me?”

“No. I do not pity you.” Adryn believed that even less. Apparently, Reiji could see that on her face, so he had a question to ask. “How can I get you to believe in my words?” 

“I... I do believe you, but it's just my mental illnesses that tell me that I don't. After all, I trust you more than I trust myself at this point.” Hearing Adryn's words, Reiji frowned.

“I'm sorry. I... I know how it feels to have a voice in your head going against everything that you want to believe in.” 

“Hey Reiji? Why aren't you being the funny, loud-mouthed person you normally are? You haven't been that way too much around me yet.”

“I guess that its because you bring out the realness within me. Not just the person that I am for my fans and friends or family.” 

“Oh, I'm sorry for that.” To Adryn's words, Reiji had to laugh, which confused the woman. 

“No, don't be sorry. It's nice to be my real self around someone. Not that the 'funny, loud-mouthed' self isn't real as well.” 

“It seems like you bring out the real self within me as well. Which sucks a little bit, because I don't like showing that side of me to people. Not even Eclipse and Nova anymore.”

“Nice isn't it? Being your true self for once in awhile, instead of pretending to be something you're not.” 

“Admittedly, it is nice to just talk without being judged or ridiculed for my true emotions and beliefs towards my situation. It's been awhile since I felt like myself, but right now, in this moment, I feel more real than ever. So thank you Reiji. I can't be like this around Nova or Eclipse any longer.” With that, Adryn set aside her food and leaned back in the lounge chair. Reiji noticed that she'd hardly eaten anything, but didn't want to ruin the moment by bothering her. So instead, he set his plate aside as well and followed suit by leaning back in his own chair. 

“Ah, the sun is setting.” Reiji pointed out, causing Adryn to turn her attention to it. The two then remained silent and watched the sunset together. 

Within the mansion, Eclipse and Nova had been there watching and listening to the two talk. They'd heard every word said between Reiji and Adryn. Eclipse felt immensely saddened by their conversation. She was sad, but not as sad as Nova, who was now crying again. Deep inside though, Nova was furious. So, a plan began to come together in Nova's head. 

A few hours later, after everyone parted and headed to their own rooms for the night, Nova decided to follow through with her plan. Well, at least try to get it started. So she headed to Reiji's room silently and knocked on his door.

“Hey there Reiji.” Nova whispered after the man opened his door, with a confused look on his face. 

“Hey, is something wrong with Adryn?” Reiji responded, worried for his friend. 

“No, no. Nothing like that, but can I come in and talk for a few minutes?” Reiji just nodded his head and moved aside for the lilac-haired woman to enter. Once inside, Nova shut his door and began to speak. “Look, I would like to ask you to help Adryn in ways that my sister an I can no longer help in.”

“What do you mean?” 

“There was a certain time limit for how long Adryn can go without getting treatment for her tumor and the cancer. So, if you can get Adryn to go through with the treatments before time runs out, she'll survive. However, if you can't, then she dies a slow and agonizing death. If you think you can't even help, then there isn't any point in you getting any closer with Adryn because she'll just leave and you'll lose someone close to you again.” 

“I want to help, but not if I have to lie to her or hurt her in any mental or physical way.”

“The only way to get her to live, is if you give her a reason to live yourself. Adryn has had many people come in and out of her life, but she's never cared for anyone like she cares for you. So, you should know where I'm leading to.” 

“No?”

“You should start showing interest in her, like in a romantic way so that Adryn would be more likely to want to keep living through life to be there with you.” 

“No. I don't want to hurt Adryn in that way. It'd be a lie, because currently I don't have those feelings for her. Even if those feelings did develop, there is still the rule that idols can't have romantic relationships with others.” 

“I've got that covered. I talked to my father, and he talked to Shining. Both parties agreed that a relationship between their companies would be great. If you two did things right, then you guys could be a power couple! You could rule over the idol world together and both my president and your president decided they liked the sound of that.” 

“I don't want to lie to Adryn.” Reiji was firm on that, but Nova just ignored him and kept talking. 

“Do you want her to die?” 

“Of course not!” With those words from Reiji, Nova began to smile. 

“Good.” Nova then opened the door, but didn't walk through it. “You know, you have one choice. Plus, if you tell Adryn about what I told you, then she'd never trust anyone again because she wouldn't know who to trust. If you speak a word of this, I'll tell everyone you made it up and make you out to be a liar.” With those threatening words, Nova walked out of Reiji's room and closed the door behind her, leaving a very worried and creeped out Reiji.

“What am I supposed to do...?” Reiji muttered to himself. “Maybe it'd be okay if I deceived her, if it meant she'd live on... but one she found out about the lies, she'd probably go downhill.” Reiji was at a standstill in his mind and heart, so he decided to just sleep on it. The man got ready for bed and then collapsed into his comfy bed. He just laid there, dwelling on his choices and the possible futures and life that lies in his hands. Reiji fell asleep that night, feeling very distressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently I'm an idiot and never noticed until now that I forgot to add this chapter. Sorry about that.


	9. Time For Celebration

The next morning, Reiji wakes up the to sounds of knocking at his door. So, he did the logical thing and went to the door and opened it. He was met with Nova standing there with a smile on her face. Instantly a bad feeling overtook Reiji.

“Can I help you?” Reiji tried to sound normal, but he was still a little sleepy and his head was a little groggy still. 

“Have you decided to go along with my plan?” Nova spoke to Reiji, causing him to frown.

“I haven't decided yet, but I'll do anything to keep Adryn alive.” 

“Good, good. I'm glad you'll be going on with my plan then.” Before Reiji could respond to her, she walked out of sight quickly. This left Reiji standing there, confused about what had happened, but he just shook it off and closed his door. Seeing that it was time to get up anyway, Reiji just got ready for the day and headed out of his room. He was surprised to see Adryn also leaving her room. 

“Oh, Reiji, good morning. How did you sleep?” Adryn happily questioned the man. She seemed in a much better mood than the previous day. 

“I slept fine, you?” 

“I was up most of the night thinking about things.”

“Things? What kind of things?” 

“Our song lyrics.”

“Oh. What did you come up with?” 

“I thought about how I wanted the words to go, but I did get a little tripped up. I realized that this might be the last song I ever write.”

“Huh? Oh...” Reiji was confused but then realized that she was meaning about her ending her own life sooner rather than later. Hearing this and having this realization made Reiji come up with one conclusion; he needed to go along with Nova's plan to some extent. He decided that he wouldn't fake feelings for Adryn, but instead open his heart to her to see if something could be there between them. He knew she's already in love with him, so now he just needed to fall for her, but naturally.

“Reiji? What's going on in that head of yours?” Adryn had noticed he'd fallen strangely silent and was deep in thought. 

“Oh!” Reiji couldn't believe he'd just zoned out during a conversation to think about things like that. “I just thought up some lyrics. After breakfast, let's talk about our lyrics together.” The words came out of his mouth before they could be stopped. It was a lie, but he'd think up some lyrics before the end of breakfast so he wasn't a total liar.

“Alright, cool.” With that, the two headed to the kitchen. However, right before the hallway that leads to the kitchen, Adryn paused. “You know what, I'll meet up with you later. I want to check up on Serenity.”

“Okay.” Reiji watched as Adryn walked away towards her cub's room. After she disappeared, he walked the rest of the way to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Reiji saw that there were only men in there. The women of PURGATORY weren't in there. “How did you all sleep?” Reiji asked Ai, Ranmaru, and Camus. 

“Fine.” Came Ranmaru's response as he munched on a banana. The other two responded the same as well, while Ai was reading the newspaper, wherever he got that from, and Camus was sipping on some tea. 

“Where are the girls?”

“Shiori is outside eating breakfast. Apparently, she'd woken up early and grabbed something without waiting for anyone else.” Camus responded simply. 

“Eclipse is sleeping. She was still awake and heading to bed when I left my room to come down here.” Ai responded as he looked up from his paper for a moment. 

“I think Nova is in the room with the cubs. She muttered something about wanting to feed them before she got her own food.” Ranmaru informed Reiji, causing Reiji to nod his head in understanding. 

“Where is your girl?” Camus questioned, causing Reiji to look at him confused. 

“Adryn. Where is Adryn?” Ranmaru clarified when Reiji didn't say anything. 

“Ah. She's in with Serenity and Precious.” Reiji responded to the question now that he understood it. Ranmaru nodded his head and went back to his banana. So, Reiji went to find something in the cupboards to eat for breakfast. 

Meanwhile, with Adryn and Nova, the two women were chatting with each other. 

“How is your song with Reiji going?” Nova asked as she gave the two cubs some food in their bowls. 

“We just have lyrics to write. We're going to officially finish it after breakfast.” Adryn responded as she reached over to pat her cub on the head. 

“Good, good. How's your friendship with him going?” 

“I think it's going strong and at the level it'd be expected to be since we'd only met recently.”

“How do you feel about working and living with the man you have loved for a little while now?”

“I have to admit, it makes me feel all giddy and happy sometimes but then I shake it off and ignore those feelings. You know, since nothing will ever come of it.”

“Why would you think nothing would come of it?” Nova was genuinely curious now. Nova thought Adryn would say something about her death but surprised her instead. 

“I'm not the type of girl that deserves to be with a man like Reiji. He deserves to be with someone better and to love someone better than me.”

“You shouldn't doubt or write anything off just yet. Sometimes the world could surprise you.” With that, Nova walked out of the room with a smile on her face. This left Adryn completely confused but a little worried. However, Serenity decided to distract her by rubbing against her legs. So, Adryn went back to giving the cubs attention. Once she was done, Adryn headed to the kitchen.

“Hmm?” Adryn entered the kitchen only to see one person there, and only one person. “Hello, Ranmaru.” Adryn was a little confused as to why no one else was there, but she decided to ignore that and head to the cupboards to find food anyway. Ranmaru just nodded his head to Adryn's hello. He was munching on something that Adryn didn't see, so it must have been the last of it. “Ah, there it is,” Adryn muttered to herself as she reached for the cereal she'd been looking for. It was chocolate cereal, Adryn's favorite. So, she got a bowl and some milk and then headed to the table. 

“How can you eat something like that without worrying about how you look?” Ranmaru's question caused Adryn to jump a little out of shock. She shook that off to respond to him.

“I've been big once, so if I ever get that way again, I'll be alright with it.” 

“How much did you weigh?” To that question, Adryn laughed. 

“You should know that isn't a question you should ask a woman.” Ranmaru nodded his head in understanding, so Adryn continued talking. “If I got fat like I was before, I'd be able to stop being an idol, and then my disappearance wouldn't be so sudden then.” 

“Do you really intend on going forward with killing yourself one day?”

“Yes,” Adryn responded simply. 

“I don't think that is the way to go. It is your life and you should really think about it before doing anything sudden.” 

“Thank you, Ranmaru, and don't worry. I won't do anything too sudden.” With Ranmaru seemingly done with questions, Adryn began to eat her cereal. Ranmaru was done with his food, so he got up and threw away whatever was in his hand before leaving the room. This left Adryn in silence and peace to eat. She finished up quickly and cleaned up before she left the kitchen. She wasn't sure where Reiji was, so she began to search for him. 

First, Adryn checked her music room but as soon as she walked in, flashbacks hit Adryn. She remembered how she'd thrown up a dozen times and even had a seizure. This all hurt to remember so she cringed and left the room. Reiji wasn't there anyway so Adryn hurried off to search elsewhere. 

Next, Adryn checked Reiji's room. She knocked on the door but heard nothing in response, so she left. After that, Adryn headed to the theater room only to find Eclipse and Ai in there. To Adryn, it sounded like they were talking about their song so, not to interrupt them, Adryn hurried out of the room. Adryn wanted to check out the living rooms but came across Camus and Shiori before she reached one. 

“Oh, hello. Have either of you seen Reiji around?” Adryn asked the two in front of her. 

“No. I haven't seen him since breakfast.” Camus responded simply. 

“Oh, okay. Thanks.” So, Adryn left the two and headed outside onto the back deck. It was the last spot that she thought to check, but honestly was probably the first place she should have checked because there was Reiji. He was just chilling on a lounge chair with a pen and notebook sitting on his lap. Instead of announcing herself right away, Adryn decided to just watch him for a few moments. 

Reiji was writing something down every once in a while, but the entire time, Reiji was humming. Adryn instantly recognized it as their song. After a few minutes of writing and humming, Reiji sneezed and dropped his pen. As he went to pick it up, Reiji saw Adryn out of the corner of his eye. 

“Ah!” Reiji gasped out, jolting backward and tipping the chair over at the same time. 

“Reiji?!” Adryn hurried to his side. “I'm so sorry for startling you!”

“Why didn't you let me know you had come out here?” Reiji wasn't mad or anything, just a bit worked up. To this, Adryn blushed. 

“I was curious about how you acted when you thought no one was around to watch you... Oh damn, that sounds so creepy...” Adryn looked away, completely embarrassed. She was only brought back to look at Reiji when he began to chuckle. 

“It isn't creepy. Just understandable, but um... please don't do that again. That took a few years off my life.” To Reiji's words, Adryn laughed before reaching her hand out to him.

“Alright. No problem.” Reiji took her hand and she helped pull him to his feet. After he was standing, he sat back down in his chair and Adryn went to the chair next to him. “So, were you writing some lyrics for our song?” 

“Yeah, I figured out a few things about it.”

“Oh?”

“I think it should be a love song.”

“Huh? Why?” 

“Our fans would love a song that they can sing along to while thinking about  
their own lives. Plus, falling in love always gets people happy and feeling great.” 

“Alright, but how much trouble will we stir up by singing a song like that together?” Reiji chuckled at Adryn's worries before responding. 

“The fans might go a little crazy over it, but it'd be alright.”

“Okay. Sure, let's write a love song.” With that, the two began to work on their lyrics. 

There was a lot of humming, writing, humming some more, then erasing. Even more humming and writing followed until an hour passed by. By then, they were finishing up the song. They wrote down the last words for their song lyrics and then realized that they were done with their song. 

“Oh my gosh! We're done!” Adryn literally cheered after they finished. Both Adryn and Reiji jumped up and excitedly hugged each other. After a moment, Adryn realized that they were hugging and began to panic. She went completely red and pulled away from Reiji. 

“You know that you don't have to be nervous around me. I won't treat you differently or even judge you.” Reiji told the redhead as she tried to gather herself again. 

“Thank you Reiji,” Adryn muttered to him as she bent down and picked up the papers of their song that had gotten scattered from them jumping up to hug. She then headed back to the mansion, causing Reiji to hurry up and follow her. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Since our song could cause little issues, we should send it into Shining and Daichi. They need to give the okay before the song goes any further. We don't want to work on the actual music, not just piano, and then find out that it won't work for our company presidents.” Adryn explained to the man. “Follow me.” Adryn then lead Reiji to a room near their bedrooms. Once Adryn opened the door, Reiji was shocked to see that there was an office on their bedroom floor. 

“What is this?” 

“This is my office. I usually just use it to send people stuff that my laptop can't do.” Adryn then headed to the scanner and began to mess with it. After everything was scanned, Adryn sent in the song to Eclipse and Nova's father. She asked him to forward it to Shining and then turned off her computer. 

“So, what now?” 

“Well, should we think about how we want the actual music to sound? Like do you want to be part of the musical process?”

“Can I use my maracas?” Reiji's question caused Adryn to literally giggle, much to her surprise. 

“Of course Reiji. We'll find a place for your precious maracas, as long as I can play one of my guitars.” The two began to share a laugh and continued to laugh for a few minutes. After they calmed down, Reiji got an idea. 

“Hey, you know what?”

“What?”

“We should celebrate writing our first song together!” Reiji suggested happily. 

“Yeah! That sounds like a good idea!” Adryn then thought for a moment and suggested something. “What about if we invite the others if they've finished their song as well.”

“Good idea!” Reiji agreed instantly. So, the two headed out of Adryn's office and went around the house looking for their friends. They came across Ranmaru and Nova first, who weren't finished with their song, so they continued on. Next came Camus and Shiori, but they also weren't finished with their song. They were about to head to the theater room, which was where Adryn had spotted Ai and Eclipse, but they came across them in a living room first. 

“Hey.” Adryn greeted Eclipse and Ai as she and Reiji walked into the room. 

“What's up?” Eclipse responded simply, looking up at Adryn from the papers she had in her hand. 

“Are you guys done with your song?” Reiji asked as he looked between Ai and Eclipse. 

“Yeah actually, we just finished? What about you guys?”

“We're done also.” Adryn simply stated before looking between Ai and Eclipse. “We were thinking about going out to celebrate finishing our first songs together, want to come along?”

“Where would we go?” Ai asked, his answer to Adryn's question depending on her next answer. 

“The club for idols is where I was thinking about going,” Reiji responded to Ai instead of Adryn, who hadn't been informed about where Reiji thought to go just yet.

“I'll pass,” Ai stated as he stood up and left the room. “Thank you for inviting me though.” With that, Ai left the room completely. 

“I'll go, but only if we can go tomorrow.” Eclipse explained after Ai was gone. 

“Why tomorrow?” Adryn asked her friend as she went and sat down next to her on the couch she was on. Reiji decided to sit down on a chair near the couch, where Ai had been previously.

“Taemin is coming tomorrow. I'd like it if he can come too.” Eclipse's words shocked Adryn, as she hadn't been told about Taemin coming over so soon. 

“When was this planned?” 

“I'm sorry I never told you, but Taemin just told me about it yesterday. I never got the chance to let you know until now.” To Eclipse's explanation, Adryn nodded her head. “Besides, Taemin is worried about you and wants to hang out with us again.”

“Taemin? As in the Korean Idol part of Shinee, that Taemin?” Reiji was getting more and more excited with every word he'd spoken. 

“Yeah? How do you know about him?” Adryn questioned, turning her attention to Reiji. 

“I've met Taemin before. I'd like to think that we got along well enough.” Reiji explained without too much detail. Eclipse seemed relieved to hear that, while Adryn was just confused. 

“How did you meet before?” 

“A few years ago, Taemin, well it was all of SHINee, were in Japan. Our groups, QUARTET NIGHT and SHINee, met at an idol convention. Our two groups got along enough to hang out afterward. That's where Taemin and myself got along... well Taemin, Jonghyun, and myself I should say.” Hearing Jonghyun's name brought the three's moods down a little bit, considering how the man passed away. The three of them frowned for a moment before Reiji brought it all back to the point of the matter. “Um, on a happier note...”

“Yeah?” Adryn asked, hoping for something to distract them from their sadness. 

“We can go to the club for idols tomorrow. Waiting a day is no big deal, and I'd love to go with Taemin and hang out with him again. Though, we probably should get permission from our bosses first.”

“I'll get permission from my dad later and make sure it's alright with Taemin too,” Eclipse says simply, causing Reiji to nod his head. 

“And I'll get permission from Shining.”

“I'll actually go do that now before I forget or it gets too late.” Eclipse then got up from the couch and headed out the door to get some privacy for her calls. This left Adryn and Reiji alone in the room. Reiji looked to Adryn, only to see her looking down at her hands, picking at the nail polish that was on her nails. 

“Are you alright? Is something wrong?” Adryn quickly looked up from her hands and looked a little shocked at Reiji. Her shock faded to sadness as she looked away from him.

“Well... I'm just not that thrilled that Taemin is coming here. Whenever I see Taemin and Eclipse together, it hurts because I have no one and probably never will.” Adryn simply explained as she sadly looked back to her hands. Reiji knew this was the chance he needed to go a little more forward with his/Nova's plan. 

“You shouldn't worry about that, you'll find someone.”

“Who might that someone be?” 

“He might be closer than you think.” Reiji smiled at Adryn, then got up from his chair and left the room before she could say anything or ask anything else. 

“What?” Adryn muttered to herself in confusion. She wasn't sure what Reiji meant by that, but she didn't want to dwell on it for too long, so she just laid down on the couch. She was feeling a headache coming on from thinking too hard about what Reiji had said to her. Well, that wasn't the actual cause but Adryn wanted to pretend that it was. So, Adryn just laid on the couch trying hard not to dwell on what Reiji had said, just in case it'd actually make her head start to hurt worse or something.


	10. Arrival

Soon after laying down on the couch, Adryn drifted off to sleep. However, no sooner than that, Nova entered the room, causing Adryn to wake up instantly. Adryn opened her eyes and stared up at Nova, who'd jolted backward with surprise. 

“Oh, I'm sorry for waking you,” Nova said quickly, worried that Adryn might be upset, but she was wrong. Adryn just sat up and yawned before responding. 

“It's alright. I honestly shouldn't be sleeping yet anyway.”

“I heard from Eclipse that you guys are heading to that idol club tomorrow. Do you know what you're going to be wearing?” 

“Huh? Oh, uh, no, I haven't even thought about it. I'll probably just wear a tank top and some pants like usual or something like that.” Adryn could feel the headache still there, but it was lessening now. It seemed like lying down for those few moments helped a little bit.

“Um, no. that isn't happening. Let's go. Get up!” Nova then literally pulled Adryn from the couch and dragged her through the mansion and to Adryn's room. All the while being dragged, Adryn wondered what Nova was going to be doing to her. She was a little worried about what Nova planned now. However, once they got to Adryn's room, Nova and Adryn began to go through Adryn's closet full of clothes. Well, the closet was full of clothes but to be more specific, they were either tank tops or some form of pants. There were a few pairs of shorts and maybe a skirt here and there, but there were no real feminine outfits there. 

“Huh, I guess I really will be wearing my usual stuff,” Adryn commented as she sat down on her bed to rest a moment. It was exhausting going through her clothes with Nova. 

“Hell no Adryn. We'll need to go out then and get you something. You've got to wear something fancy, you know Eclipse will be so you gotta too!” 

“You know what, I think I do have something. Give me a second.” Adryn then pushed past Nova and crawled into her closet, only to emerge a moment later with a box and a bag in her hands. 

“What is this?” Nova was worried but Adryn then opened the box, causing Nova to gasp. 

“This is something I bought a while ago but never found an occasion to wear.” Adryn stood up and pulled out the emerald-colored dress that was in the box. The dress was about the middle of thigh-high, the neckline was a V-neck, but wasn't too deep and it had tank top like straps. It was completely sparkly as well, every time the sparkles hit the light, emerald would be cast out throughout the room. 

“This... this is beautiful! How did you get this without me knowing?!” Nova's excitement caused Adryn to laugh out loud. 

“I don't know why you don't know this dress, it wasn't like I kept it from you on purpose.” 

“Well, I'm still angry with you, but that's alright. It's perfect!” Nova then made her way to Adryn's vanity and picked out some jewelry. To be specific, 2 necklaces, 1 opal and 1 a locket type thing holding sage and special oil inside of it, then 2 opal rings, one blue and one regular. Nova chose 2 sets of earrings, for the top hole, a blue opal, and the bottom hole would have a dangle earring with 6 different colored stones. Nova also decided to allow Adryn to wear her Mothman bracelet. 

Once all the jewelry was picked out, Nova made Adryn put everything on and then opened the bag that Adryn had brought out to reveal shoes that Nova had never seen before. They were black and were small heeled shoes. So those went on Adryn as well. 

“I actually look really good, don't I?” Adryn asked as she looked into her full-length mirror in her bathroom. It wasn't every day that Adryn wore special clothes, so she was shocked. 

“You look amazing. Just add some makeup and then you'll be perfect.” Nova stated as she peeked behind Adryn to see her in the mirror. 

“Well, now that it's all done, get out.”

“Huh?!” Nova was surprised to be pushed along by Adryn until she was out of Adryn's room. 

“I'm exhausted now. Now is nap time.” 

“Alright.” Nova laughed at Adryn's comment and left the room, closing the door behind her. She then got a great idea and went to Reiji's room after a moment to let Adryn get away from the door. Nova then knocked on Reiji's door, and after a moment Reiji opened it up. Nova gave Reiji a smile, causing the man to feel dread. 

“What's up?” Reiji was nervous but decided to pretend like he wasn't. He didn't want to show fear in front of Nova. 

“Say Reiji, do you know what you're going to be wearing tomorrow for the club?” 

“No?” Reiji wasn't sure where this was going to go, but he definitely didn't expect Nova to push past him and enter his room without permission. 

“Good, I'll help you pick out an outfit.” With that, Nova and Reiji, reluctantly, begin going through the man's clothes. 

After a little while, and a lot of clothes, Nova finally had an outfit picked out for Reiji. It consisted of a black, slightly tight-fitting shirt, black jeans, an emerald belt, and black shoes to go with it all. Nova even picked out some jewelry for him. The jewelry was a sterling silver ring that goes on Reiji's middle finger of whichever hand he chooses, and a silver necklace with a little pendant that wasn't really anything. 

“Hmm...” Reiji muttered simply as he looked at the outfit that now rested on his bed.

“What?” Nova asked, preparing to get offended or angry with the man for rejecting her pick.

“I wasn't aware of this amount of black I had in my clothes I'd brought with me.” Nova instantly began to laugh at Reiji's comment, but she knew he was serious, which made it more funny to her. As Nova laughed, Reiji pulled out a fedora from a hatbox and put it on the bed. It was black with an emerald ribbon with it.

“Hell no, Reiji. That isn't allowed.” Nova instantly put the hat back into the box, causing the man to pout. This made Nova laugh again. “It wouldn't look right with the look I'm going for with this outfit.”

“Why can't we have an outfit where I can wear a hat?” 

“Nope. You have to match with Adryn.” Hearing these words from Nova instantly caused Reiji some worry.

“What is your plan?” 

“Good question.” Nova giggled as she made her way to the door. She then turned around and smirked at Reiji. “Good luck tomorrow, you'll need it.” With that, Nova walked out and closed the door behind her. This left Reiji confused and honestly a little more worried now. Reiji decided to shake off the worry and put his club outfit on a chair in the room so it wouldn't get all crumpled and wrinkled or anything. 

The rest of the day continued without much issue for the residents of the mansion. Once dinner time came, Nova again approached Reiji, who was watching something in his room on his phone, to wake up Adryn and get her down for dinner. So, Reiji did as Nova asked and went to Adryn's room. He knocked on the door to Adryn's room but got no answer. So, Reiji opened the door and saw that Adryn was laying on her bed, under the covers and facing the door where Reiji was now. She had her eyes closed and she was breathing deeply, so she was clearly asleep. 

“Adryn?” Reiji spoke up just above a whisper, not wanting to startle the sleeping girl. He approached the bed and spoke up a little louder. “Adryn?” 

“Hmm?” Adryn mumbled as her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Reiji, completely confused, and then opened her eyes a little more, realizing that Reiji was actually there and she wasn't imagining it. “Oh... Reiji?” 

“Hey Adryn, it's dinner time. I was asked to wake you up.”

“Ah, alright.” Adryn then sat up in bed and stretched, she then sighed and looked to Reiji. “I just had a funky dream about tomorrow.”

“What was it about?” 

“I... I think I'd rather not talk about it.” Adryn blushed and looked away from Reiji. She was fidgeting with her hands and just seemed nervous, so Reiji didn't push the matter. 

“Well, let's head down for dinner, alright?” 

“Sure. Thank you for waking me up.” With that, Adryn and Reiji headed down to the kitchen and sat down next to each other. 

Dinner came and went with no particular things going on. Everyone was cordial with each other and no one fought for once. After dinner was eaten, Camus, Shiori, Ranmaru, and Nova all headed out to finish up their song. This left Ai, Reiji, Eclipse, and Adryn in the kitchen. Reiji and Eclipse cleaned up, while Ai suddenly excused himself to go do his own thing. 

“So, are you ready for tomorrow night? Are you excited?” Reiji asked Eclipse, who just paused to look at him. 

“I'm excited to see Taemin again, no matter where we are together,” Eclipse responded simply before turning to look at Adryn. “What about you?”

“I'm actually pretty nervous. I don't usually go out and have fun anymore. It's been a little while.” Adryn spoke up honestly. 

“You should be having more fun, but you know, just not doing anything too crazy.”

“Well, tomorrow, I plan on drinking but not too much. But um, how do we plan on getting back home?”

“If anything, I'll drive us there and back home. I haven't driven my precious car in a little while.” Eclipse's car was the gunmetal gray old luxury car that has been sitting in Adryn's garage for a long while now, as Eclipse doesn't normally drive anywhere.

“Alright, cool.” Adryn then looked to Reiji, who'd just finished up cleaning. “Will you do much drinking?” 

“Honestly? I don't drink much nor have I really ever in my lifetime.” 

“So you're a little nervous to drink then?” 

“A little bit, yeah.” 

“Don't worry, Reiji. Just don't drink too much and you'll be fine. Besides, we'll all be there together so nothing bad should happen.” Adryn's words reassured Reiji and brought a smile to his face. Before he could say anything though, the doorbell could be heard ringing before they all heard the front door open up. Immediately, Eclipse pushed past Reiji and ran out of the kitchen. Reiji and Adryn looked at each other and ran after Eclipse. They entered the entrance hall just in time to see Eclipse jumping into the arms of a shocked Taemin. 

Thankfully, Taemin was able to catch himself before himself and Eclipse hit the ground. Eclipse wrapped her legs around Taemin's waist as Taemin sits on the ground carefully not to hurt either of them. Then, despite Reiji and Adryn standing there, Taemin and Eclipse pressed their lips to each other and began to laugh into their kisses. 

Everyone else, having heard the doorbell and then the following commotion came walking into the entrance hall. They were all confused by the scene that was unfolding in front of them. 

“What is wrong with them?” Ai asked as he watched Taemin and Eclipse laugh with each other as tears began to fill their eyes. Realizing that more people were there now, Taemin and Eclipse get up off the floor and fix their faces. 

“Everyone, this is Taemin,” Eclipse spoke up to everyone in the entrance hall. Most of them had already met him, but it was whatever. Camus, Ranmaru, and Ai greet Taemin simply.

“Hello everyone. It's nice to see some people I already have met, however, I don't think I have met you.” Taemin spoke up to Shiori. 

“Hey there, you're pretty cute,” Shiori spoke up, stepping towards Taemin, causing Adryn to pull her backward. 

“Um, don't do that. He is completely off-limits. Shoo. Go away!” Adryn snapped at Shiori causing the girl to frown at Adryn. 

“Hey there Taemin, long time no see,” Reiji said, ignoring the fact that Shiori was trying to argue with Adryn. 

“Reiji, it's been far too long.” 

“It's been too long since we've seen you!” Nova called out as she hurried to Taemin, pouncing on him as she got to him. Adryn walked over and let Nova hug Taemin, then she hugged Taemin. 

“Well, now that the introductions are over. Let's get your things to your room.” Eclipse told Taemin, who instantly agreed. Taemin and Eclipse made their way to Taemin's guest room. It was at the end of the hallway where everyone else's bedrooms were. However, Taemin spent most of his time with Eclipse, spending as much time with his lover as he possibly could be. 

Since it was so late, everyone decided to do their own thing. Taemin and Eclipse headed to her room, inviting Nova in with them to hang out. They invited Adryn too, but she politely turned them down, in favor of staying with Reiji.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Adryn questioned the man after they were all alone in the entrance hall. 

“I think I'm just going to read on my phone or answer fan mail,” Reiji responded, causing Adryn to nod her head. She then got up from the bench they'd been sitting on but Reiji stopped her. 

“Do you want to hang out with me in my room and just talk for a bit?” 

“...Sure?” Adryn wasn't sure why Reiji suddenly wanted to chat with her, but she went with him anyway to his room. Once they got in there, Reiji sat on one of the chairs, leaving Adryn just standing, unsure of what to do. 

“Don't just stand there, come sit here.” Reiji chuckled at the awkwardness of Adryn. So, Adryn did as she was told and sat in a chair next to him, finally noticing on the third chair in the room, the random outfit laying there on it. 

“What are those clothes about?” 

“I chose them for the club tomorrow. I figured I'd worry about it tonight rather than rushing to figure it out tomorrow.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

“What are you going to wear tomorrow?” 

“Hmm. I already have it picked out, it's a dress, but I'd rather wear pants or shorts. Nova wouldn't let me.” 

“Why would you rather wear pants or shorts?”

“I usually always feel a little weird in a dress and even a skirt. I don't necessarily like womanly clothes.”

“How come?” 

“Why is your outfit involving so much black?” Reiji realized that Adryn didn't want to answer that, but he wasn't sure why, so he just moved on to answer her question. 

“Well...” Reiji didn't know what to say, as if he told her that Nova picked it out, she might get the wrong idea. He didn't want to upset her or give her the wrong impression. “Can I ask you a question about your sexuality? I'm really curious about what being pansexual means.” 

“Oh, sure. Ask me whatever you want.” 

“Well, what is your type of person that you normally like and go for?” To Reiji's question, Adryn paused and thought for a moment. 

“I think I like a more sweet, caring, loving, and funny person with nice eyes and a good soul,” Adryn explained simply before continuing on. “I always look for a nice pair of eyes because if they are clear and beautiful, then that person is good. If they are muddy and dark, they aren't a good person. It doesn't matter what eye color they have, just how they look in my eyes.” 

“How do my eyes look to you?” 

“Beautiful,” Adryn responded without hesitation. She then realized what she said and went red and began to mutter an explanation. “I mean that they look clear and bright. Just what I look for in eyes.”

“What else do you look for?” Reiji asked with a smile on his face. 

“Well, to be specific, I'm after a Virgo or a Cancer.”

“I'm a Cancer.” Reiji pointed out causing Adryn to laugh. 

“Yeah, I know that, of course. Your birthday is the same day as Nova's is. July 13th.”

“I see, I see. So, why are you looking for a Virgo or a Cancer specifically?”

“Those are the 2 Zodiac signs most compatible with me. I'd just prefer them as well.” 

“Is there anything else you look for in a person?”

“I just want someone who will love me for who I am, no matter what.” Adryn then frowned and shook her head. “It's all wishful thinking though since I'm not going to live long enough to find that special person anyway.” This instantly brought a frown to Reiji's face. 

“You shouldn't think like that. You should be figuring out how to get help so you don't die.” It was now Adryn's turn to frown. 

“Why are you so concerned with my well being and life?” Adryn then held up a hand. “Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know.”

“Why don't you want me to answer that?”

“I don't want to know. But you know what, I thought you'd be different. I thought you wouldn't pressure me like Eclipse and Nova do.” Adryn then got up from her seat and was about to head for the door, causing Reiji to panic. He instantly held out a hand to stop her as words fell from his mouth. 

“Wait! I'm sorry for saying that when it isn't really my business to say anything like that to you. I was just worried about you and... honestly, I wouldn't be happy if you leave this world like you want to.” 

“Why would you care anyway?”

“Aren't we friends?” Reiji asked hopefully as he looked up at the still-standing woman. Hearing this, Adryn softened up a little bit and Reiji could visibly see her shoulders relax. “Sit back down, please?” 

“Alright,” Adryn responded as she sat back down in the seat she'd been in before. 

“Have you heard from our bosses about our song?” Reiji asked, completely changing the subject altogether. Adryn pulled out her phone and checked before shaking her head.

“It doesn't look like it. It'd probably take until tomorrow or something.” 

“I should ask when I call shining to ask permission to go to the club tomorrow.” 

“That's a good idea,” Adryn responded before yawning. 

“Maybe you should get to bed, and I should call Shining before it gets any later.” 

“Yeah, alright.” Adryn then stood up and turned to Reiji. “Thank you for the talk.” Adryn then smiled at him, causing a little thump in Reiji's heart to happen, surprising him and also confusing him. Apparently, the surprise and confusion showed on his face. “Are you alright?” 

“Oh, yeah, I'm good.” Reiji quickly responded, just a tad bit too fast. Adryn didn't believe him, but she didn't push it because she was too tired anyway. 

“Alright, well... goodnight Reiji.” 

“Goodnight, sleep well.” Reiji watched as Adryn left his room, closing his door behind him, leaving him all alone. “Why did that happen when I saw her smile?” Reiji muttered to himself after he was sure Adryn was long gone. “It's almost like... I'm starting to like her or something.” Reiji then shook off that thought and pulled out his phone to call Shining. 

Meanwhile, Adryn was getting ready for bed and laid down to sleep. She then realized that she was able to hear voices from the next room, meaning she was hearing Eclipse, Nova, and Taemin chatting and laughing with each other. So, to fix the problem, Adryn pulled out her phone and earbuds to listen to some music. She spent a few moments figuring out what song she wanted to hear and ended up playing Serenity by Godsmack. Adryn fell asleep listening to her all-time favorite song, without a care in the world.


	11. Meltdown

The next morning, or at least what Adryn thought was the next morning, Adryn woke up. She realized instantly that her phone was dead due to it being silent and not responding to her. So she climbed out of bed and plugged it in before heading to the window, only to see that it was still dark outside. 

“Oh damn,” Adryn muttered to herself as she realized that it was earlier than she thought. So, Adryn went through her purse and got her iPod out to figure out the time. It was apparently before 6 am still. It sucked for Adryn, because she was fully rested and didn't really want to go back to bed now, so she decided to start her day. Adryn took a shower, put her contacts in, and got dressed for the day. She then silently left her room and headed to the cubs' room to check up on them. 

Once Adryn got to the cubs' room, she peeked in and realized that they were both still sleeping, so not wanting to bother them, she decided to head to the kitchen to get some hot cocoa. Her favorite brand was still in the cupboard, thankfully, so she made a mug of it. Once it was done and hot, she made her way to the back porch to watch the sunrise that was sure to come eventually. So, Adryn sat down on a lounge chair and stared off into the distance. Just staring caused her mind to wander, causing all types of thoughts to come. 

“Should I get help for this tumor? I don't really want to be cut open or anything like that. I don't like change, and I feel like a bunch of change would happen due to the treatments I'd have to go through.” Adryn then sighed to herself and took a sip of her drink. It was still too hot so she put it back down to cool some more. “I don't really have too much to live for. Eclipse, Nova, this job I have, and my fans... Even if I got a boyfriend or girlfriend, at this point I don't think it'd make a difference to me. In the past, I lived for people and wanted to die because of them. Back then I'd get treatment in a heartbeat if someone said they wanted me to and if I loved them enough. But now... I don't think so.” 

“What are you even talking about, Adryn?” To the new voice behind Adryn, the redhead jumped and turned around, careful to not knock her hot cocoa over. Standing there, was Eclipse with a mug of tea. This instantly caused Adryn to frown. She didn't want to get into another fight with Eclipse or anything. So, seeing Adryn's face and realizing what she was thinking, Eclipse put a hand up to show she didn't mean any harm. “I'm not here to attack you or tell you what to do. I just want to chat with you. Can I sit?”

“I guess.” Adryn reluctantly responded as she shifted in her chair to sit up better. She then took another sip of her drink, realizing that it was the perfect temperature, and began to fully drink it in little drinks. So, Eclipse sat down in the lounge chair next to her and took a drink of her tea. Adryn could smell the sweetened tea from her seat. 

“I'm happy to see that you and Reiji are getting along well. I know that you love him a lot.” 

“Yeah...” Adryn sighed and looked at Eclipse. “It's nice to befriend him after years of wanting to, but won't he just be put off by me loving him if he ever found out?”

“Um... he already knows?”

“Huh?”

“Both Nova and I have spoken to Reiji about your feelings for him. So... he knows how you feel already.” 

“Oh my god...” Adryn felt the panic rise in her. “Why would you do that?”

“It just came up and he needed to know. I'm not sure why Nova told him though, she didn't say.” Adryn instantly frowned and started to fidget in her seat. “Look, I know you're upset but it's alright. Reiji found it quite flattering. He wasn't freaked out or anything by it.”

“I can't believe you two would betray me like that and tell him how I feel about him. When did you tell him in the first place?”

“At the hospital when we were waiting to find out if you were alright or not.” 

“What?!” Adryn then begins to wonder to herself. Why would Reiji still be her friend after hearing about that? It seemed like Eclipse could tell what she was thinking because she began to speak. 

“Reiji wasn't bothered by it. He's a good person, so he wouldn't let something like that affect how he treats someone.”

“I don't need to be told that Reiji is a good person... but would he just be nice to me for some other purpose? Like to get close and make fun of me or something? Wait, no, of course not. He'd never do that to me, or anyone really.” Adryn's mindset changed through the course of her speaking, causing Eclipse to worry a little bit, but she didn't say anything about her worries. 

“Of course. Reiji is a great guy. He'd never hurt anyone on purpose.” Eclipse confirmed Adryn's final thoughts, causing the redhead to smile as she drank some more of her drink. “So, why are you out here anyway?”

“I just wanted some hot cocoa with the sunrise. I just want to enjoy what time I have left.”

“Can I stay and watch the sunrise with you?” 

“Sure.” Adryn and Eclipse then fell into silence as they watched the night sky begin to brighten. “You know, I'm sorry for yelling at you the other day.”

“It's alright. I'm sorry that I yelled as well.” 

“I don't want to keep fighting with you all of the time. I just think we should get along for the remainder of my life, as short or as long as that might be.”

“Alright, I can agree to that.” The two women smile at each other, but then jump a little bit when the door opens behind them. They turn and see Taemin standing there looking shocked. 

“Oh, I wasn't expecting to see you two looking so happy together,” Taemin comments as he steps out onto the back porch. 

“We were just making up finally.” Eclipse explained simply. 

“Should I go then?”

“No, no. Stay. We haven't gotten the chance to talk since you've gotten here.” Adryn smiled at Taemin, making him smile back as he nodded his head. He then went and sat with Eclipse on the same lounge chair as she was on. “So, how have you been?” 

“I've been alright. Much better now that I'm back here with Eclipse.”

“I'm happy that you two have each other and are allowed to be together.”

“I hope that you'll find someone while you can too.”

“Thank you, Taemin.”

Once their conversation was over, everyone turned their attention to the rising sun. The three of them smiled as they watched the bright colors bleed into the dark sky and light everything up. Once it got bright enough, they decided to retreat back inside before they got blinded too much by the sun. The three of them decided to head into the kitchen, with Eclipse making breakfast as Taemin helped her here and there. Adryn sat at the counter and then remembered she wanted to ask them something.

“So, what are you guys wearing for your outfits to the club later tonight?” Adryn asked the two as they cooked. 

“I'm wearing a black cardigan, black pants, and a purple lace corset style shirt. My boots are specifically the women's heeled mafia boots and my jewelry. The jewelry will be my Eclipse pendant, purple sapphire choker, a sapphire necklace, sapphire rings, and my normal bracelets.” 

“I see, that sounds like you.” Adryn laughed causing Eclipse to chuckle too. “What about you, Taemin?”

“My club outfit is going to be a clack sleeveless suit, that's a little form-fitting, a black silty scarf, gold chains with gold dangle earrings. I'll be wearing a few rings and bracelets along with my men's mafia heeled boots. Oh! This time I'll be wearing my new contacts, they are blue but they glow under black light like Eclipse's contacts do.”

“So... did you guys purposefully match or...?”

“Yeah.” Eclipse laughed honestly. 

“Well, somehow Reiji and I are also matching, but not like you two.” Adryn then paused and thought for a moment. “Maybe I shouldn't wear that dress. Maybe I should wear something else.”

“No. wear what Nova chose for you.” 

“Why?” To Adryn's question, Eclipse just smiled at her, making Adryn even more confused. Just then, the kitchen door opened to reveal Ranmaru with Camus and Ai trailing behind him. “Good morning everyone.”

“Morning.” Taemin and Eclipse spoke to the 3 next. However, Ranmaru just seemed confused. 

“Reiji isn't here?” Ranmaru asked, ignoring their greetings. 

“Huh?” Adryn asked, super confused, and now a little worried. 

“We haven't seen him since last night,” Ai explained as he took his seat. 

“You know what? I've been up all night and haven't heard anything from his room. Granted I had my earbuds in after Taemin went to bed, but still.” 

“I'll go find him.” Adryn then hopped down from the chair at the counter she'd been on and headed up to Reiji's room. She knocked on it but got no response so she opened up the door. This revealed no Reiji in there, with no sign that he'd even been in there lately. This caused full panic to take over Adryn, causing her to run back down to the others, but before she made it there, she saw Serenity at the front door pawing and whining at it. So, Adryn went to the door and opened it up, to see Reiji in his car, sleeping. “Reiji?” Adryn hurried to the car and tried to open a door, only for it to be locked. So she knocked at the window. This seemed to wake up Reiji enough for him to unlock the door and motion for her to come in. 

“Good morning,” Reiji muttered as he stretched and yawned as Adryn climbed into his car. 

“Why are you out here? Is something wrong? Are you alright?” Adryn instantly went into asking him things, causing Reiji to pause as he looked at her. He then softly smiled at her worries. 

“I couldn't fall asleep. I had a weird feeling, so I just wanted to be around something familiar.” Hearing this instantly made Adryn feel bad.

“Is there something I could do to help you?”

“Don't worry, Adryn. I feel much better now that I've slept in my car... Well mentally anyway, not physically as now I'm in a bit of pain.” Reiji chuckled as he stretched again and heard some cracking this time. “I must be getting old.” This caused Adryn to gently smile at him.

“Let's head inside. I'll get you a heating pad and some over the counter pain medicine after breakfast.”

“That sounds really good to me,” Reiji responded with a smile. So the two then got out of the car and headed back inside and to the kitchen. When they walked into the room, Ranmaru, Camus and Ai seemed annoyed with them. Meanwhile, Eclipse and Taemin were cooking and Nova and Shiori were at the table chatting with each other. 

“Where did you find him?” Ranmaru asked as Adryn and Reiji went to their seats. 

“In his car outside.” 

“Why was he there?” Instead of responding, Adryn ignored the man. Reiji just laughed and spoke up next. 

“Why? Were you worried about me, Ran-Ran?” Reiji's question caused Ranmaru to get all huffy and irritated with him. 

Before Ranmaru could retort though, Eclipse declared that the food was done. So, Taemin and Eclipse brought all the plates of food to the table, where everyone went to sit down if they hadn't been seated before. Everyone ate fairly quickly and then split up into groups again. Ranmaru and Nova headed out while Camus and Shiori also headed out of the kitchen to work on their songs. Ai declared he was going to the library within the mansion, but no one had shown it to him, making Adryn wonder how he'd found it. Eclipse and Taemin decided to go head to her room to hang out some more. This left Reiji and Adryn all alone together, once again. 

“You know, we've been ending up alone a lot lately. Maybe someone is trying to tell us something.” Reiji was talking in his flirty voice, but either Adryn didn't realize or she ignored it because she just laughed. 

“We need to head to the mansion's medical room for your pain stuff. Mostly everything is there with the exception of a few random medications here in the kitchen.” Adryn's response caused Reiji to frown since he'd ignored his flirting with her. Adryn just got up and grabbed a bottle of water for Reiji before heading out the door with Reiji behind her. Reiji was amazed that there was a little medical room just a little ways from the kitchen as he'd never seen it before. “Sit down on the chair.” Reiji did as Adryn said and watched as she went through drawers and cabinets until she found what she was after, the heating pad and the medicine. “Take these.” 

“Yes, ma'am,” Reiji smirked as he was handed 2 pills with the bottle of water. Reiji did as he was told and then was given the heating pad behind him. He leaned back against it and waited for it to get warm. Adryn just sat down across from him in another chair. She smiled at Reiji and watched him close his eyes and feel the growing warmth from behind him. 

“You know, Reiji, you can come to me whenever you feel bad or strange again. Wake me up if you have to. I'll always listen and try to help.” 

“Thank you. You do the same too, alright?”

“No. I don't like talking about my feelings.” Adryn said it with a laugh so it wasn't too harsh of a response. This seemed to remind Adryn that Reiji knew that she loved him. “How do you feel about me loving you, Reiji?” This question was out of nowhere, so it surprised Reiji a bit. 

“I'm honestly happy that someone loves me, and I'm thankful for your feelings,” Reiji responded after recovering from the surprise. 

“Are those your feelings as an idol, or as a man?” This question caused Reiji to pause and actually think for a moment. 

“I'm not actually sure about that. I'm not too sure how to feel about your feelings toward me yet.” Reiji then realized he wanted to hear how she felt from her own mouth, not from one of her friends. “How do you feel about me? In your own words.” 

“I loved you at first because of your music and how you outwardly seemed. Then, I dug a little deeper into you and realized that you were a normal person underneath it all and that your soul was good. You are physically attractive to me and honestly, I'd probably want to be with you if I had a normal life and wasn't such a terrible person. Anyway, I love you for the man you are. If we met and we both weren't idols, I'd still love you for who you are deep down.” Hearing all of this, Reiji fell silent for a few moments. He needed to process everything she'd said to him, and she let him process it all. 

“It is a constant for me, to hear that women, and sometimes men, are in love with me. Even so, you seem to be more genuinely in love with me more than them and for the right reasons too, not just because of who I seem to be. Thank you for telling me how you feel... I feel a little odd hearing it finally from you.”

“Is it a bad feeling?”

“No, it's a warm feeling.” This made Adryn laugh to Reiji's surprise. 

“That must be the heating pad you're feeling then Reiji.” Reiji just shook his head at her though. 

“It is warming me up, but this feeling is something warmer, deep inside of me.” 

“I'm confused...” Adryn hesitantly admitted to Reiji. 

“So am I.”

“Then you're probably imagining it.” Adryn's words were a little harsh this time as she stood up from her seat. 

“I'm not imagining it. I just wanted you to know... Why are you getting up and seeming so upset now? Did I say something wrong?” 

“I'm not the right person for you, I'm a terrible person in fact. So you should just stop feeling anything for me.” Adryn's words were even harsher now, leaving Reiji's head spinning. He realized she was leaving though and hurried and stood up instantly and reached for Adryn. She didn't move out of his way, probably not seeing him coming for her, so he grabbed her arms and spun her around carefully. 

“What's gotten into you? You seem like a completely different person now.” Reiji was worried. He didn't know how to handle this situation, but he knew he didn't want her to walk out that door. Reiji then realized that Adryn wasn't looking at him, but at his hands like she was disgusted by him touching her. 

“You must be a liar then because no one like you would ever care about someone like me. You shouldn't be feeling anything warm toward me or because of me.” 

“I'm not a liar, Adryn. You know that. I'm telling you the truth because I want to be open with you like you've been open with me.” Hearing everything from Reiji, Adryn seemed like she was on the verge of tears. Reiji instantly began to panic. “You need to calm down and collect yourself. You don't seem like yourself right now, Adryn.” Adryn realized this as well and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She then reached up and peeled his hands off of her arms. 

“You know, you shouldn't touch someone mentally unstable. If I didn't love you as I do, I would have freaked out on you.” Adryn then opened her eyes up and looked up at Reiji as she spoke in a monotone voice once again. “I would like to be alone.” She then left the room, causing Reiji to feel more confused than he'd ever felt before. 

“What... what just happened?” Reiji asked himself as he took a step back to collect himself and run his hand through his hair. “We were just having a moment and were connecting... then... what?” Reiji understood nothing, but he knew that he needed to go in search of Nova or Eclipse, but didn't want to bother Eclipse and Taemin's time together. So, Reiji searched until he found Nova and Ranmaru. 

“Reiji? What's wrong?” Nova instantly could see that something was wrong with Reiji when he walked into the living room that Ranmaru and Nova were in. 

“Can I talk to you alone for a minute?” 

“Alright.” Nova then followed Reiji to the back deck where Reiji explained everything to Nova that had just happened. 

“We were getting along just fine. Then, Adryn took a turn and went all dark on me. She seemed like she was a different person and was upset with me. She reacted strangely when I grabbed her too.” 

“You just dealt with Adryn's intense depressive side of her bipolar disorder. Certain things set Adryn off like that and she just clicks into a defensive and depressive state. You're incredibly lucky that she didn't start screaming at you or throwing things like she usually does when she loses it like that.”

“How can I make sure I don't cause that again?” Nova just shrugged at Reiji's question.

“Without her medication, Adryn is an unstable psycho.” Hearing this made Reiji feel even worse than before.

“I'm sure that Adryn is hurting because of this. It isn't like she wants to react this way or feel like that.” These words from Reiji stunned Nova. 

“Reiji... are you starting to like her or something?” 

“...I'm not sure.” To Reiji's surprise, Nova began to laugh and jump in place like an excited toddler. 

“Things are going great!” Nova then proceeded to begin to head back into the mansion. Just before she closed the door though, she spoke up. “Go check on Adryn in 10 minutes to make sure she's still alive, okay?” With that, Nova closed the door and headed back to Ranmaru. 

“Is Adryn so upset that she'd take her own life right now!?” This thought gave Reiji chills and made him realize that he didn't want to take that chance and wait 10 minutes. So, Reiji practically ran to Adryn's room and frantically knocked at the door. Reiji heard a few concerning thumps before footsteps approached the door. The door then opened to reveal a normal looking Adryn standing there. “Are you feeling better?” 

“Reiji... I am so sorry for how I got with you. Come in, if you don't hate me now.” Adryn opened the door and Reiji instantly entered her room and the two sat down on chairs facing each other. “Something you had said to me set something off internally and it upset me so badly that I snapped.”

“What was it?” 

“When you said you had a feeling of something warmer deep inside you.” 

“Why would that upset you?”

“I have a hard time believing that anyone could have any type of positive feelings for me, and when I heard those words... I had flashbacks to other people  
who'd hurt me and said similar things to me before. It wasn't that I didn't believe your words, it's just that a part of me was negatively affected by them.”

“Should I avoid saying anything like that in the future?”

“Be honest with me, don't not say something for my sake. It's my fault for reacting like that and it's something I need to work on.”

“Adryn, I'm so sorr-”

“No, don't apologize to me. I'm the one who is so sorry. I shouldn't let my past affect how things are now. It's just really hard when I'm not on my medication.”

“May I ask this? Why did you stop taking your medication?”

“I stopped going to my doctor that would prescribe me my medications, only because they were pushing me to get help with my tumor and cancer. So they stopped giving me my pills.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” 

“Just being here for me is enough... Also, not pressuring me helps as well.” 

“I think I can do that.” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn smiled at him. 

“Thank you.” Seeing such a smile on Adryn after this bad situation seemed to cause Reiji something odd internally. He could feel his heartbeat change, prompting him to look confused. “Are you alright?”

“How do you feel when you are around me?” 

“Huh? Oh, um...” Adryn was clearly thrown off by his question.

“I'm sorry about that,” Reiji responded with a chuckle. 

“No, it's alright.” Adryn smiled at him and then answered his question. “I feel happy around you. My heart will race sometimes like it'll beat harder or feel like it skipped a beat.” Adryn then wondered something. “Why do you ask?” Reiji knew that this was the moment that he needed to be completely honest with her. 

“I asked... because...” Reiji realized he needed to tell her, but he was scared that it would send her into another episode or cause her to freak out even worse. He also didn't want it to seem like he'd just went along with Nova's plan and was feeling things just because of it. So, Reiji remained quiet, which worried Adryn.

“You're being quiet,” Adryn commented simply. 

“I'll tell you eventually when I'm ready to.” Reiji winked at Adryn with a smile on his face, confusing the poor woman. He then stood up and headed for the door. Before he opened it, he turned back to Adryn. “I'll see you later when we get ready to head to the club.” 

“See you later?” With that, Reiji gave Adryn one last smile and then left her room. He closed her door and turned around, only to nearly yelp out in shock. There stood Nova with a seemingly evil smirk on her face. This caused Reiji to instantly frown, making Nova chuckle. 

“Is Adryn alright?” Nova's tone was quiet, not wanting Adryn to hear her.

“She is fine.”

“Good, good. Follow me.” Nova then grabbed Reiji's wrist and pulled him into her room. Reiji looked around and saw her room was full of bright stuff; pinks and purples with a hint of blue was her entire room. It was like cotton candy, but more sickening. “I was listening to your conversation, so I know how everything went and what was said.”

“That isn't alright, Nova. You shouldn't do that.”

“Are you starting to like Adryn?” Reiji remains silent in face of Nova's question. He kept his face neutral as well. This makes Nova pout and sigh. “You're not fun, Reiji. If you are truly starting to like her, or even if it's fake, don't tell me. When it all comes out, it'll be more fun to see it later.” This irritated Reiji but he chose to not say anything about it. “You should hurry up with the pretend falling for Adryn or real falling for her, as her window of treatment is closing. You need her to agree to the treatments as soon as possible.” Nova then walked to her door but didn't open it. “Be careful around a drunk Adryn. No one ever knows how alcohol will mess with her bipolar and twisted mind.” She then opened the door and motioned for him to leave. As Reiji left, he turned to Nova and finally spoke.

“I'm still not going to lie to Adryn,” Reiji said in a harsh voice, but this didn't surprise Nova, she just smirked and slammed the door in his face. Reiji sighed to himself and turned, only to jump in shock. There stood Ai, looking intrigued over what he'd just heard. “Hey there, Ai-Ai. What's up?”

“What were you in Nova's room for?” Ai asked shutting down Reiji's friendly attitude. “What aren't you going to lie to Adryn about? Is there something going on between you and Nova?”

“No, of course not. There is a huge misunderstanding here.” 

“Hmm...” Ai didn't fully believe Reiji, but either he was giving him the benefit of the doubt or he just didn't care. So, Ai went into his room without any more questions. This prompted Reiji to go to his own room as well. Reiji wasn't sure about what Ai had heard or how long he'd been standing there, but Reiji knew one thing. He needed to be more careful as he didn't want any misunderstandings to hurt Adryn in any way.


	12. The Club

For the remainder of the day, everyone in the mansion did as they wanted to. They pretty much did their own things until everyone was called for dinner. Once Adryn was called, she headed to the kitchen and realized that everyone was doing something. Either they were cooking, or they were at the table chatting. Eclipse looked up first and noticed Adryn immediately.

“Hey, Adryn. Dinner will be ready soon.” Eclipse informed the redhead. Adryn nodded her head and took her seat next to Reiji. 

“How did the rest of your day go?” Adryn asked Reiji after she'd sat down. 

“It was alright,” Reiji responded with a smile. 

“So, Adryn, Reiji, and Taemin, what time do we want to head to the club tonight?” Eclipse asked suddenly. 

“Well, if it's alright, maybe let's get ready right after dinner and then go as soon as possible? I want some more time to rest before I head back to Korea the day after tomorrow.” Taemin responded causing the other 3 to nodded their heads in agreement. “We should also get a car to take us there and back. So we all can drink without worrying.” The three agreed again. 

Everyone then ate dinner and the club-goers headed off to get ready. Adryn was a little hesitant to get all dressed up for the first time around Reiji, but she put everything on anyway. She even put on a little makeup but not too much. Once Adryn was ready and gathered up her courage to leave her room, she opened her door and walked out, nearly walking right into Reiji.

“Oh, hey Adryn,” Reiji spoke up as he looked at Adryn. He then took in how she looked fully and smiled at her. She returned the looks and smiled at him back. 

“Hey, Reiji.” 

“You look different than usual.” 

“Is that a good thing?” 

“It's a good different. Not that you're normal look wasn't good either. I mean...” Adryn laughed at Reiji's panic and smiled at him. “You look beautiful.” 

“Thank you. You look good too.” 

“What are you two doing just standing there?” Eclipse and Taemin had just walked out of her room and saw the two just standing there. 

“Just talking.” Reiji responded as Adryn said, “Being awkward.” The two then laughed at the other's response. Reiji could feel his heart skip a beat as Adryn laughed looking so beautiful. Apparently, Eclipse could tell what Reiji was thinking because she smirked at him. Reiji then shook his head to get the thoughts out. 

“Let's head down to wait for the car,” Reiji suggested, trying to avoid Eclipse's knowing look. 

“I already called the car, they should be here soon,” Taemin informed the group. They all nodded their heads and headed down to the entrance hall, where Shiori and Nova were waiting. 

“Adryn,” Shiori began as she approached the redhead, “Keep your drinking to a minimum. You don't want to get all sloppy drunk and go home with the wrong people.”

“I'm not like you, Shiori,” Adryn responded simply, causing the other woman to go red with anger and embarrassment.

“Just don't drink yourself into a coma, alright?” Nova butted in before Shiori could retort. 

“Sure,” Adryn responded before heading out into the driveway to get some air. Reiji went to follow after Adryn, but Nova stopped him. 

“I have a bad feeling about tonight, watch out for Adryn,” Nova ordered Reiji. The man wanted to respond, but Adryn poked her head back inside and told everyone that the car was there, so buzz it in. Eclipse headed to the buzzer and buzzed the driver in. 

“Oh wow, a limo!” Nova was instantly jealous of the car they were going to be driving in tonight. 

“Don't worry Nova, I'll keep Adryn safe,” Eclipse spoke up to her sister. 

“I'll keep Eclipse safe,” Taemin told Nova, making Eclipse smile. 

“Who will keep Reiji safe?” Shiori asked causing Reiji to smile.

“I don't need to be protected.” Reiji proudly stated. 

“You need to be protected. If you got into a fight, you wouldn't know what to do.” Everyone turned to see Ranmaru who'd just walked into the entrance hall. 

“You're so mean, Ran-Ran.” Reiji pouted as he deflated. Nova then laughed and pushed the man out the door, but whispered to him. 

“Make your move on Adryn tonight, or else,” Nova whispered to the man before turning around and walking away. Reiji walked out the door and headed to Adryn. Eclipse and Taemin followed after him and they all piled into the limo. 

“What did Nova say to you?” Adryn asked as she got situated.

“Nothing important,” Reiji responded, but Adryn didn't like that answer. She chose to let it go though, in favor of keeping the night light and upbeat. Adryn then looked over at Taemin and Eclipse, in the front of the back of the limo. They were talking and laughing with each other but in Korean. This left Reiji and Adryn seated next to each other and in silence. Finally, Adryn broke the silence. 

“How many times have you been to this club?” Adryn asked simply as she turned to Reiji. 

“Only a few times, with Ranmaru and Camus. Camus doesn't like to go, so we haven't gone in some time.” 

“I've been to clubs and bars before, but never one specifically for idols like this one. I had no clue that something like this even existed.”

“Not many companies allow their idols to partake in the club scene, but our bosses are pretty cool about it.” 

“I wonder if we even got permission from Daichi or if Eclipse just declared they were going.” 

“Have you done a lot of drinking and partying in your life?” 

“...Yes, with my old band and with Nova before we became idols...” Reiji could tell that Adryn was hiding something. “What about you?”

“I usually drink on special occasions. Nothing too crazy though.” Reiji looked to Adryn, to see her looking at him in shock. “What? I've been an idol for a long time. I never wanted to risk anything by partying or drinking.” 

“I understand, sorry.”

“It's alright... Hmm... Adryn? How were you able to drink while on your medication?”

“I just wouldn't take my pill that night so the alcohol wouldn't interact with my medication. Though I should admit, I have done more than just drinking on those nights.”

“What do you mean?”

“I've done drugs before. You know, I've lived a much different life than you have. It's one of the reasons why I don't feel like I'm meant to be with you and why I'm not worthy of you.”

“The past doesn't matter, all that matters now is how and who you are now.” 

“You're wrong Reiji. The past is something that has shaped me to be who I am, and it still haunted me every day.”

“What would haunt you?” To Reiji's question, Adryn just smiled before speaking to him.

“We aren't there yet. I don't want to get into my past too much because I was wild at times despite be being a sheltered and timid person.”

“What do you mean by timid? You don't seem like that now.” 

“I was and still am very scared of being in front of people. It's so bad that sometimes it's hard to perform in front of my fans. I've also locked myself away in my room for days before because I couldn't handle people.”

“I can't believe you were like that. You really don't seem like that now. Why don't you seem like that now? It sounds like that behavior would be hard to get away from.”

“Being bipolar changed me a lot. The tumor has also altered my personality a little bit. My old self is gone and this new Adryn is here until I die now.” Reiji then frowned because of her mentioning that. “I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have brought that up. I want tonight to be a great night for us all. I want to just forget everything for one night. I want to be my true self, and for you to be you; your complete and true self.”

“I can be Reiji for a night I think.” This caused Adryn to chuckle and Reiji joined in with her laughing. 

The rest of the ride to the club was full of them all chatting and laughing together. Once they arrived at the club, they got out and told the driver that they'll call him back when they were ready to head home. He then drove away and they enter the club after showing their IDs and proving who they were. The four of them were given a nice table where not many people were and a waitress asked them what kinds of drinks they wanted. 

“I'd like something sweet, with little alcohol in it. Most importantly it's got to be sweet though.” Eclipse responded to the waitress. 

“I'd also like something sweet, but mine can be more alcoholic,” Taemin spoke next. 

“Just give me whatever, as long as it's alcoholic. I'm not sure about what I'd like.” Adryn said next, causing Eclipse to chuckle. 

“I'll just take a beer to start off with,” Reiji responded when the waitress looked at him. She then went off to get their drinks. 

“Once I drink a little bit, we should dance a little.” Eclipse said as she looked to Taemin. He agreed with her instantly. 

“I want to dance too, but not alone or with a stranger,” Adryn muttered mostly to herself as she looked at the dancing people. 

“I'll dance with you.” Reiji simply stated with a smile on his face. 

“If you don't want to, you don't have to.”

“I want to.” Reiji's resolve caused Adryn to smile and thank the man. Soon after that, their first round of drinks arrived. Adryn drank her drink quickly, while everyone else drank theirs slowly. Reiji ended up halfway through his beer when he noticed how jittery Adryn was getting. “Shall we go dance?” 

“Hell yeah!” Adryn responded as she jumped up happily. Reiji smiled and followed her out onto the dance floor. There was some random upbeat song playing, but it was too loud to really hear what the song was or anything else about it. Reiji and Adryn then began to awkwardly dance around each other. Whenever they would touch, they would pull apart and laugh nervously. It took a little bit, but eventually, Adryn gathered up the courage to ask Reiji about it. “Why is everything awkward between us?”

“I don't know,” Reiji responded, looking away from Adryn. She responded by grabbing Reiji's hands and smiling up at him. 

“We're friends. Friends aren't awkward like this around each other.”

“Honestly...” Reiji muttered as he smiled down at their hands. “I know why I'm so awkward. It's because I'm developing feelings for you, but I'm not sure about them yet.” Hearing this, Adryn freezes and tightens her hold on Reiji's hands. 

“What type of feelings are you feeling toward me?” Adryn's voice was low but Reiji heard it clearly. 

“Romantic ones.” Reiji's words caused Adryn to release his hands and take a step back from him. 

“I don't believe you. There is no way someone like you would have romantic feelings for someone like me.” Adryn was beginning to go into a panic, so Reiji knew he had to speak fast. 

“I know my feelings because my heart beats faster around you. Sometimes it skips altogether, but it's only because of you. I think about you randomly throughout the day when we're apart and I don't like the thought that I'll lose you to yourself one day.” Hearing everything from Reiji, Adryn's head was spinning around and around. 

“Um... we need to get off the dance floor before we get yelled at for not dancing.” This was all Adryn could muster up to say. So, the two headed off of the dance floor and returned to their table. They saw that Taemin and Eclipse were gone now, but they spotted them on the dance floor a little ways away from where they'd just been. Adryn then ordered another drink, while Reiji went back to his beer. “I am extremely confused now, just so you know.” 

“I'm sorry for confusing you. I expected you to be happy.”

“I mean... I am happy, but on the other hand, I'm going to be dying so if we got into a relationship, it'd be short and go nowhere.” 

“You have a lot to think about because I'll fight for you and do everything I can to make sure you get treatment. I don't want to lose you... I don't want to lose someone I care about again...” Adryn first frowned at Reiji, but then smiled at him.

“I do have a lot to think about, but so do you.” Seeing Reiji's confusion, Adryn continued. “If you truly do like me, there would be so many obstacles in our way.”

“I know that I like you, it's just not as strong as what you feel for me.”

“I understand this, but you really need to take time and think this through because this could ruin our careers.” Reiji already knew that their bosses would approve of their relationship but he couldn't tell Adryn that.

“Well, I think our bosses would be alright with us together. You know, maybe we could be a power couple.” Adryn instantly began to laugh at Reiji's comment. 

“It does sound like something they'd think... But I just can't believe this is happening to me. I've only ever caught the attention of bad guys, or girls and I've never been in a decent relationship before. Being with you would be totally different.”

“It's really hurtful to be written off as a bad relationship.” Hearing a new voice, Adryn and Reiji turn to see who'd spoken. Only to see a man standing next to their table with a beer in his hands. Adryn instantly gasped and stood up, prompting Reiji to stand as well. The new man had dyed blond hair, blue eyes and was about 6'2”. He was a bit muscular and had a tattoo of a tribal type skull on his left shoulder. Reiji could tell that he was Asian, but he wasn't sure what country he was from. 

“Adryn, who is he?” Reiji asked the woman next to him, but she was in too much shock to respond to Reiji.

“Get lost,” Adryn growled at the man, who just smiled down at the significantly shorter woman. 

“My name is Johnathan or just John for short. Call me whichever.” John spoke up to Reiji with a smirk on his face. “Adryn and I know each other very well. I was her last boyfriend before she left Korea and became apart of PURGATORY.” 

“What are you doing here?! You're a Korean idol, not a Japanese one.” Adryn snapped, seething from the pure rage that surprised Reiji. 

“We're here for a tour thing. We just stopped by to hang out is all.” 

“Where is everyone else?” Adryn seemed incredibly concerned about that. 

“They aren't too far. They'll be here when I need them to be.” John then smiled softly at Adryn, but even Reiji could tell that it held malice. “You're as beautiful as ever, especially when you're scared.” John reached out to brush Adryn's hair but she smacked his hand away from her and took a step backward, nearly falling onto the seat behind her. 

“I think you should probably leave. Adryn clearly doesn't want you here.” Reiji was now in protective mode but didn't want to upset John and cause him to get violent with either of them.

“Shut up. You should leave. Adryn and I need to get reacquainted with each other.” 

“You need to go before Eclipse and Taemin see you.” Adryn found her voice again and snapped back at John's harsh words to Reiji. 

“I'm not afraid of either of them. They can't do anything against me anymore.” Adryn's confusion was written on her face, so John raised his shirt to reveal a huge knife attached to his belt that was hidden by his shirt. Adryn can feel her body wanting to throw up from pure fear. “Come with me Adryn. I don't want to hurt this pretty boy over here.” Reiji was panicked now as well and looked into the crowd to find Eclipse, who was already on her way over. She'd felt a disturbance and knew something was going down with Adryn. Taemin was right behind her. 

“What is going on here?!” Eclipse demanded, walking up to the group. 

“Good evening, Eclipse, Taemin,” John spoke up as he turned to smile at the two. Seeing the fear on Reiji and Adryn's faces caused Eclipse and Taemin to become worried. 

“What do you want!?” 

“I just want Adryn to come and have a nice little chat with me, that's all. No one needs to get hurt.” 

“Fine! I'll go with you, just stop threatening the people I care about.” Adryn stepped to John, making the tall man smile. 

“That isn't the fun way of doing things, but alright. I win regardless.” John then grabbed Adryn by her arm and yanked her toward him. She fell into his chest, causing John to snicker and hold her to him tightly. Before Eclipse could even move, John and Adryn disappeared into the crowd. John led Adryn through the crowd and to the other side of the club, to a private table. Eclipse tried to go after them, but Taemin grabbed her carefully.

“Eclipse, no. I don't want you to get hurt. We need to call the police.” Taemin whispered to his lover. Eclipse was on the verge of tears due to how angry and worried she was for her best friend. 

“Who was that man and why was Adryn so scared?” Reiji demanded answers from Eclipse and Taemin. 

“John and his group members caused some bad psychological damage to Adryn. They are why she thinks so negatively about herself and everything else most of the time. She is now in grave danger!”

“Why?”

“John has physically harmed Adryn on multiple occasions.” Taemin simply responded without too much information. 

“Once the abuse started, Adryn tried to get away from him, but John told her he'd ruin her career in Korea by posting pictures and videos of various things that happened while Adryn was partying.” Eclipse explained with more detail.

“Most of those things, Adryn had no knowledge of because John would drug her and cause her to do things she wouldn't normally do.” Instead of replying, Reiji instantly began to feel panicked. So, before Taemin could stop him, Reiji pushed through the crowd and marched right over to where John and Adryn was. Once Reiji got there, he saw Adryn pinned down on the seats with John obviously forcing a kiss onto her. Reiji was immediately furious. 

“Get away from her!” Reiji yelled out, surprising John and Adryn, who then mustered up the strength to push John off of her. 

“Stop it!” Adryn cried out, trying to wiggle out from underneath John. 

“Why should I?” John responded with a laugh. 

“Because she isn't interested in you!” Reiji snapped, letting his anger and worries flow out of him. John spun around angrily to go after Reiji, giving Adryn a clear escape. She tried to move past John, but he grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest as he pulled out his knife. Reiji took a step forward for John wasn't having that.

“You should back off or I'll kill Adryn and then you!” Listening to John's words, caused Adryn to feel pure terror, but not for herself, but for Reiji. She didn't want Reiji to get hurt because of her. 

“Back off, Reiji! I don't want you to die for my sake!” Adryn cried out, beginning to tear up. 

“If you get hurt, I'll be hurt,” Reiji responded, making John laugh.

“Are you two a thing or not? Well, it doesn't matter because it's over between you two because I don't plan on letting Adryn go again!” John laughed as he spoke. As Adryn tunes out the laughter, she dwells on everything Reiji had been saying to her and finally understood that he actually does care about her. He'd be actually hurt if she died, along with Eclipse and Nova and everyone else that cares about her. Adryn then wonders if she really wants to die at the hands of her psycho ex-boyfriend. The answer was no, a big hell in fact. Adryn realizes all within a few seconds, that she didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave everyone that she loved. 

As John waves his knife around, yapping about stabbing Reiji and taking Adryn as his “pet” again. Seeing the true fear on Reiji's face, and seeing the knife in front of Adryn, she made a choice. She snapped and moved after being still for so long. So, Adryn jabbed John in the ribs the best and hardest she could. This caused John to jolt long enough for Adryn to grab his hand with the knife and begin to wrestle it out of his hand. The deciding factor was when she bit his wrist, making him release the knife. Adryn took the knife from him, spun around, and knocked John backward onto the seats behind them. Adryn then stabbed the knife between John's legs, a couple of inches from his manly parts, and growled at him.

“If you ever bother me, or anyone that I love again, I'll fucking kill you and your pathetic friends too!” Adryn's voice was low, but it was clear. John had seen her rage and darkness before, so he knew she wasn't joking around. The fear from John quickly turned to anger and he grabbed the knife again. This time, Reiji moved to Adryn, grabbed her wrist, and ran with her through the crowd to where Eclipse and Taemin were. The two of them had called the police and they were already entering the club. 

This allowed Adryn to explain everything to the police, making them understand the situation. The police then went after John, who was shoving people out of the way as he made his way through the crowd. Other police guided Adryn, Reiji, Taemin, and Eclipse out of the club. They intended on questioning them, but someone else was informed to let them go before the news stations got there. So, Eclipse called their driver back and he quickly arrived. They all loaded into the limo and took off before they were spotted by anyone with a camera. The car ride began silently, but Eclipse broke the silence. 

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Eclipse asked her best friend. Instead of responding, Adryn burst out into tears and began to sob uncontrollably. Immediately, Reiji, Eclipse, and Taemin move closer to console the now sobbing woman. Adryn began to mutter between her tears and sobs. 

“I'm so sorry! This was all my fault!” Adryn cried out, shocking the others around her. 

“It isn't your fault. None of this was your fault.” Reiji responded instantly. 

“If I'd never gotten involved with him back then, none of this would have happened!”

“John was a psycho! He is to blame not you, Adryn!” Eclipse cried out, tears filling her eyes due to Adryn's sobbing. Adryn just resumed sobbing, prompting Reiji to wrap his arms around Adryn tightly.

“I was so scared you were about to die right in front of me...” Reiji mumbled to Adryn softly as he tried to calm her. 

“I'm sorry, Reiji! This made me realize that I don't want to die. I am going to get help for my tumor and cancer! I'm not going to die, I don't want to leave you all!” Adryn cried out, shocking the 3 of them again. 

“It's alright Adryn. I'll be here no matter what happens.” 

“Thank you for being here for me. I don't think I would have fought if it weren't for you and everyone else I love.” Adryn's tears began to slow, and the commotion of the night finally hit her, causing her to drift off to sleep in Reiji's safe arms. She fell asleep a little before they arrived at the mansion. 

Since they arrived back sooner than expected, everyone came out to see what was wrong and were met with the sight of Reiji carrying Adryn in his arms. Nova instantly flew into panic mode. 

“What happened?!” Nova practically yelled out as she hurried to Reiji and Adryn.

“She had a hard time tonight.” With that, Reiji walked past everyone and into the mansion. Reiji made his way all the way to Adryn's room and carefully opened up the door. He lied her down on her bed, moving her a bit too much because Adryn ended up waking up. Instant panic hits Adryn as she tried to figure out where she was. “It's alright, you're home now. You're safe Adryn.” Reiji explained to the scared woman.

“Thank you for carrying me to my room,” Adryn muttered softly. 

“You should get some rest.” Reiji made a move to leave the room, but Adryn reached out to him, crying once more. 

“Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone right now.”

“Alright, no worries. I'll stay here until you fall asleep.” Reiji instantly soothed Adryn's fears and watched as she crawled under her blankets and grabbed 2 silk shirt like things, one was purple and one was pink. 

“These are my silkies. Don't mind them.” Adryn muttered with embarrassment in her voice. 

“Silkies?” 

“I've had the pink one since I was a baby and the purple one came a few years later. I've had the pink one all my life, the purple one was on and off for a while there.”

“Why do you have them?” 

“Separation anxiety with my parents. Now I keep them just because I don't feel right without them. I usually bring them everywhere, but for some reason, I didn't to the club tonight...”

“I see... I'm surprised to see such a vulnerable side of you.” To this, Adryn chuckled softly. 

“I don't like showing this side of me to others. Only special people like Nova, Eclipse, and Taemin.”

“Really?”

“But now that you've seen me cry, you're family. You aren't allowed to leave my life now.” Hearing this childish type of talk from Adryn made Reiji chuckle to himself. Adryn was brought into the laughter and the two laughed together for a few moments. Eventually, the laughter died and everything went silent. “I hope the situation tonight didn't scare you too badly or made you think any less of me. I know they told you about what happened with me and that bastard.” 

“I was a little scared to hear about your past, but I wasn't scared for myself. I was scared because I wasn't sure what he'd do to you once he got you alone.”

“At first, I didn't care what he was going to do to me. I figured I'd end up dead anyway. Then you came and now I feel differently. I can't believe that I was ever willing to give up my life and just die. I can't believe that I was willing to just leave everyone I loved like that.”

“I understand how you thought before, but I'm happy to hear that you've changed your mind and want treatment now.”

“You are a part of that reason, you know. I could see how scared you were for me during it all. I never want to be the cause of those fears in you again. I'll try to not cause you too much worry from now on.” 

“It's alright to be a little troublesome every now and then because I probably will be just as troublesome too.” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn laughed again. 

“I definitely know we can be more than a bit troublesome.” Adryn's laughter died down and was replaced by a yawn. 

“Go to sleep,” Reiji mumbled as he reached out and patted her head softly. 

“Alright, good idea,” Adryn muttered as she got all snug in bed. “I love you, Reiji...” Adryn muttered as she drifted into a surprisingly peaceful sleep. It'd been the first time Adryn had said those words so directly to Reiji. This brought a smile to Reiji's face. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead. 

“I deeply care for you and will protect you from now on,” Reiji spoke those words quietly to the sleeping woman, but also told them to himself. He planned on being by Adryn's side for the coming drama to come with her treatment and would do anything he could to protect her now.


	13. Loss

Once Reiji was sure that Adryn had fallen into a deep sleep, he decided to head out of the room with every intention of heading to his own room. However, he was intercepted by Ai who was standing in front of Reiji's door. Before Reiji could say anything, Ai spoke up.

“What happened between you and Adryn?” Ai asked in his normal, calm voice, but there was a hint of an accusation behind it. 

“I just helped her calm back down so she could sleep,” Reiji responded simply, thinking this was the end of it, but Ai continued his questions.

“If you're interested in Adryn, what were you doing alone with Nova in her room?” 

“You wouldn't understand, Ai-Ai.” Reiji tried to write it off, not wanting to be honest with his friend, but also not wanting to lie to him.

“Care to tell me what Ai won't understand?” Reiji and Ai turned to see Taemin approaching them. He'd apparently been listening into the whole conversation. “Just what is going on here?”

“He'd had been in Nova's room and once he exited, he wouldn't tell me what he was doing in there,” Ai explained before Reiji could explain it all himself. Hearing this, Taemin's mindset switched into big brother mode, not just because of his brotherly connection with Nova, but because of his connection with Adryn as well. 

“Just what is going on between you and Nova, Reiji? Actually, tell me what's going on between you and Adryn as well. I know you're a good man, so there has to be a good explanation for this.” 

“There is absolutely nothing between me and Nova. No feelings or anything there at all. I was helping her with something. However, there are feelings there between Adryn and myself. I would like to get to know her better and be there for her through the treatment she'll be getting now that she'd decided to go forward with it.”

“Alright... I'll believe you, but if you are lying, you'll have to deal with Eclipse, and trust me, you don't want to deal with Eclipse when she's angry.”

“I promise, there is only friendship between Nova and myself.”

“Well, I know she has no feelings for you since Nova is a lesbian. So it's just better to stay away from her.”

“I already knew that Nova was a lesbian. Besides, I wouldn't hurt Adryn by going after her ex-girlfriend like that.” Seemingly satisfied with Reiji's explanations, Taemin nodded his head and turned to go back to wherever Eclipse was. “Wait, Taemin, can I ask you to do a favor for me?”

“What is it?” Taemin questioned as he turned back to look at the other man. 

“Can we not talk about this with anyone else? I don't want to worry Adryn with misunderstandings or anything like that.” 

“...Alright.” Taemin agreed after a moment of thought. 

“Ai-Ai?” 

“Very well,” Ai responded after thinking about it as well. With that, the three of them went off in their own ways. Reiji headed to his room like he'd been trying to before. He decided to just take a shower and change into his sleep clothes. Feeling completely drained, he plopped down on his bed and fell asleep right there. He didn't even climb under the covers.   
A few hours later, Reiji woke up. He wasn't sure what woke him, but he realized how he'd fallen asleep. His lights were still on and his hair was still damp. He shivered a bit but then realizes that he had a bad feeling within him. This prompted Reiji to walk out of his room and into the eerily silent hallway. At first, it was completely quiet, but then Reiji began to hear shuffling noises coming from Adryn's room. This gave Reiji an even worse feeling so he knocked on her door. Hearing nothing but the noises, Reiji decided to open the door, only to see Adryn in her bed. She was tossing and turning with tears falling from her still closed eyes. 

“Adryn!” Reiji instantly flew into panic mode and hurried to the distressed woman. He began to shake her as he spoke to her. “It's just a dream, you're dreaming, Adryn wake up!” Hearing Reiji's voice and feeling him shake her, Adryn jolted awake. However, her eyes were a little foggy, so she panicked and moved away from the man out of fear. Her eyes adjusted a bit and she was able to see the familiar shape of Reiji before she could see him completely. 

“Reiji?” Adryn asked, completely confused. She was hit with the remembrance of her dream and began to cry and breakdown again. 

“Are you alright?” Reiji hesitantly sat down on Adryn's bed, being careful to not startle the woman. 

“It's just the nightmare I had, I'll be alright,” Adryn muttered as she wiped her tears away and gathered herself. “How did you know I was having a nightmare anyway?”

“I had been asleep but woke up out of nowhere with a bad feeling. So I came out of my room and heard you in distress.”

“It's starting.”

“What is starting?” To Reiji's concerned question, Adryn chuckled. 

“Well, Eclipse and Nova, Taemin also, are able to sense when I'm upset too. That just means that you really do care about me.”

“I do really care about you.” Reiji proudly admitted as he smiled at Adryn. 

“Um, what are you two doing awake? Also, why are you in sleep clothes while Adryn is still in her club clothes?” Reiji and Adryn turned to see a worried and confused Eclipse in the doorway. Adryn instantly blushed and Reiji panicked, as things did look a little suspicious. 

“Well, I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to change earlier and Reiji felt me upset and hurried over here,” Adryn explained with a red face, trying to rationalize everything so Eclipse didn't take anything the wrong way. 

“I see,” Eclipse responded with a nod of her head. “Well, thank you, Reiji, for helping Adryn in her time of need, but I got it from here. You can go back to bed.”

“Come find me if you have another issue,” Reiji stated to Adryn before leaving and closing her door behind him. 

“Alright, get into the shower and wash away the night.” Eclipse pulled Adryn from the bed and pushed her towards the bathroom. Adryn did as she was told and after she was all clean, she put on a tank top and shorts to sleep in. she then climbed into bed. “You know, I would have kicked John's ass if Taemin let me.”

“I'm glad you didn't. I guess I need this to happen to bring my will to live back to me.”

“I'm happy that you want to get treatment now, but I'm not happy you had to go through that to figure that out for yourself.” Eclipse then thought for a moment and asked a question that surprised Adryn. “What took away your will to live in the first place? Why did you give up on life?”

“My past. Every failed lover. Every abuser I've dealt with. Everyone that had hurt me over the years. Everything just became too much and then the tumor and cancer happened.” Adryn then smiled a dark smile. “I planned to end my life after the club if everything had gone well. But since it went bad, in a good way, I don't have those plans anymore.”

“It would have destroyed me if you ended your own life. You know that, right?”

“Taemin would have kept you alive and you'd eventually have learned to move on with him by your side.”

“What about Nova? She would have been devastated, just in a different way.”

“I would have felt bad about that, but Nova wouldn't have fallen apart over me. We don't care that much of each other anymore.”

“You're wrong there, but that's a problem for another time.”

“I won't be leaving this world for a while now. We'll have time to talk about everything and nothing. We can fix our friendship and become like sisters again now.”

“I'd like that very much,” Eclipse admitted before she yawned. She then turned to leave as she bid goodnight to her best friend. “I'll see you later. Sleep well this time, alright?”

“Alright.” With that, Eclipse was gone and Adryn was alone again. 

She didn't want to dwell on anything so she laid right down and drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew, she was felt something warm and wet on her face. She opened her eyes only to see Serenity on her bed, licking her face. 

“How did you get in here, Serenity?” Adryn asked her cub who just nudged her hand now. Adryn noticed that the door to her room was open a little bit, revealing how Serenity had gotten in. Adryn then noticed that there was a note attached to the collar of Serenity. Adryn pulled the note off and she read it. “'Come down to the kitchen when you wake up. Reiji will be there waiting for you so he can cook you something.'” Adryn shrugged her shoulders and decided to not get ready for the day before heading down to the kitchen. Reiji was just sitting at the counter, waiting for Adryn. He was all alone. “Morning, Reiji.” The man instantly perked up when he heard Adryn's voice. He then turned around to greet her as well. When he saw her in just shorts and a tank top while wearing her glasses, he paused for a moment before he responded.

“Good morning, how did you sleep?” 

“I'm not sure actually.” 

“Alright. Well, what kind of food do you want for breakfast?” 

“Surprise me.” To Adryn's response, Reiji laughed and nodded his head. Reiji instantly got to cooking. “Where is everyone?”

“Out doing their own thing. Nova and Shiori are out shopping for groceries and whatever else they find. Ran-Ran, Ai-Ai, and Myu are out doing a job that they refused to tell me about. Eclipse and Taemin are on a date, enjoying their last day together.”

“It sucks that Taemin has to leave tonight.”

“I feel bad for Eclipse and Taemin. They love each other so much and it must hurt to be torn apart from each other constantly.” 

“I couldn't handle it if someone I loved was so far from me for that long amount of time. They are brave and must truly be meant for each other if they can survive the long-distance.”

“I'll have to remember that you don't like long-distance relationships.”

“Huh? Why?” 

“Anyway, you're going to love what I'm making. It's my specialty!” 

“...It's fried chicken, isn't it?” Adryn watched Reiji pause whatever he was doing and look at her.

“...It might be...”

“Can  
fried chicken be for breakfast?” 

“It's 2 in the afternoon. It's really a late lunch at this point.” 

“Wait what? I slept that long?” 

“You needed the sleep.”

“What I need to do is call my doctor after the 'late lunch' and set up an appointment to figure out a treatment plan for me.”

“I'll cook faster!” Reiji's resolve caused Adryn to burst out laughing. Adryn decided to stop talking with Reiji so he can finish up peacefully. After a little while, Reiji got done with everything and gave Adryn the food he made. “Enjoy!”

“I will... maybe.” Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at the pout on Reiji's face. She then began to eat and once she was done, Reiji offered to clean up, sending her to her room to get ready for the day. So that's just what Adryn did. She got ready for the day and then called her doctor. Dr. Yoshida was her main doctor for her tumor, so that's who she called. She was able to get an appointment set up for that day, as soon as he could come in. Adryn hurried off to find Reiji once her phone call was done. 

“How'd the call go?” Reiji asked once Adryn found him. He was walking toward his room, so he wasn't too hard to find. 

“My doctor wants me to come in now. Do you think you can take me? I don't really want to do this all alone.” 

“Of course. Let's get disguises so no one recognizes us and then let's head out!” Reiji and Adryn hurried to their rooms and got disguises on before heading to Reiji's car. 

Once in the car and buckled up, they headed to the place where Adryn was supposed to meet with her doctor. The location was the same hospital where Adryn had been just a bit ago but in the doctor's office side of it, not the emergency side of it. 

“Should I stay out here or come in with you?” Reiji asked as he pulled into a parking space. 

“Can you come in with me? I might need some moral support to get through all of this.”

“Sure, I'll be your moral support. Trust me on this!” Reiji's proud comment caused Adryn to laugh. Once she collected herself, the two-headed out and into the building. They head into the doctor's office and begin chatting about how things are going to go. 

After an incredibly long time of going over options, Adryn and her doctor decide on a treatment plan. Adryn will undergo retro-sigmoid keyhole craniotomy due to the tumor being right at her spinal cord. She will have to shave her head, despite Adryn not wanting to. After the surgery, she'll remain in the hospital for 3 days for observation. If the surgery doesn't get all of the tumor, she'll undergo Stereotactic Radiosurgery to completely and permanently remove the rest of the tumor and cancer. To Adryn's surprise, the surgery is planned for the next day as they need to get the surgery done as soon as possible. 

Once the talk and plans were laid out, Adryn and Reiji headed out of the hospital and back into his car. This is where Adryn proceeded to breakdown. This caused Reiji to instantly panic. 

“I've only ever been into surgery when I was three! I don't want to do this! I am so scared I'm going to die because of a surgery that is supposed to save my life!” Adryn cried out as she tried her hardest to not start sobbing. 

“You'll be alright. You'll die from not having the surgery anyway. Wait... that didn't come out right. Adryn...” Hearing Reiji not saying the right things didn't help much, but Adryn was able to calm herself down enough for Reiji to safely drive back to the mansion. As soon as they got back to the mansion, Adryn headed right up to her room and went into the bathroom. 

“I guess I have to do this...” Adryn muttered as she found a pair of hair scissors. She then began to cut a little patch of hair, but she couldn't do anything more than that. From the hallway, Reiji could hear Adryn begin crying. Without asking for permission, Reiji entered the room and went into her bathroom to see her sobbing. 

“Why are you crying?” Reiji asked, incredibly worried about the woman. 

“I worked hard for this hair. I don't even have any wigs to wear once my hair is all gone!” Adryn was becoming distraught but Reiji wasn't sure what to do about it. Until something hit Reiji. 

“Hold on.” Reiji then ran out of the room into his room and rummaged through his stuff before returning to Adryn. Reiji held out his hand, in his hand was something fuzzy and emerald in color. 

“What is this?”

“It's a beanie that I was given. I never wore it but I've held onto it because it's my color. You can wear it until we get you a wig that works for you.” 

“Thank you.” Adryn took the beanie and smiled at it. She then thought of something as she looked down at the scissors. “Hey, Reiji? Can we take a picture together before I cut more of my hair off?”

“Of course.” To Reiji's agreement, Reiji pulled out his phone. The two got close together and they took a cute photo with them both smiling. 

“Can you send that to me?”

“Sure.” Reiji then paused. “But I don't think we've exchanged numbers yet. Get your phone out and we'll exchange numbers.” 

“Oh... okay.” Adryn was hesitant to pull out her phone. 

“What's wrong?” Reiji got his answer when Adryn pulled out her phone, revealing a little Reiji dangling from it. “Oh.” Reiji then chuckled causing Adryn to frown. “Don't worry, I think it's adorable how you feel about me. It makes me all warm inside.” 

“Shut up,” Adryn responded with a laugh. 

“Here, give me your phone. I'll put my number in.” 

“Alright.” Adryn then unlocked her phone and brought up the contacts app before handing her phone over. Reiji then noticed that she only had 3 numbers on her phone. One titled “Sister”, another titled “Little Sister” and finally one titled “Boss”. 

“Why are there only three numbers on your phone?”

“I only need Eclipse's number, Nova's number, and Daichi's number. I never had a need to contact anyone else.” 

“I see...” Reiji then thought for a moment before adding his number. He then took a picture of himself to add to the contact picture. When he handed the phone back to Adryn, the woman blushed. Reiji put himself in there as “♥ Reiji ♥”.

“Thanks for your number...” Adryn muttered out of embarrassment. She was also feeling all giddy and happy inside. It felt like she was about to explode, but calmed herself down. She didn't want Reiji to see how happy it was making her just getting his phone number.

“Here, add your number.” Reiji had already unlocked his phone and brought up the contacts app before he handed the phone to Adryn. She didn't add a picture and her name on his phone was just “Adryn”. She then handed his phone back to him, making him frown. So, he took a quick picture of Adryn, catching her off guard. 

“Hey, don't do that!” Adryn gasped out when she realized what Reiji had done. “I wasn't ready, delete it. I probably look weird or something.”

“You look beautiful. You always do, no matter what.”

“I won't be looking beautiful after my hair is shaved off,” Adryn muttered sadly. “I'll look hideous.” 

“I promise, you won't look hideous. You'll look different, but it doesn't mean it'll be a bad different.” 

“Sure...” Adryn then set her phone down and headed into the bathroom to get back to cutting her hair. 

“Let me help.” Reiji followed behind Adryn and watched her just stare at the scissors. 

“To make this quick, we might as well use this.” Adryn rummaged through the drawers of the cabinet before pulling out an electric razor. 

“Why do you have that?”

“I used to keep my hair super short when I was younger, and I guess I just never got rid of this.” To Adryn's explanation, Reiji just nodded his head. So, Reiji took the electric razor from her and turned it on. However, both Adryn and Reiji then froze as they looked at each other. They weren't completely sure if they were ready to do anything and then jumped when there was a knock at the door. Then, the person barged into the room, prompting Reiji to turn off the razor. He then peeked out of the bathroom to see Nova standing there looking around the room. 

“What is going on?!” Nova demanded as she approached the bathroom with Adryn and Reiji in it. 

“We're shaving my head?” Adryn responded as she walked out of the bathroom.

“Why?!” Nova's irate tone just caused Adryn to sigh.

“I'll explain later when Eclipse and Taemin get back.”

“No, you tell me why, right now!”

“Fine. I'm having surgery tomorrow and I need my hair all gone for it.”

“What?!” Instead of responding to Nova this time, Adryn spun the woman around and pushed her out of the room. Adryn then closed and locked the door in Nova's face. With that taken care of, Adryn headed back to the bathroom with a chair and sat down on it.

“Is it alright to leave Nova like that?” Reiji asked as he heard the banging and yelling coming from Nova outside the door. 

“She'll give up eventually, but we should be aware of Eclipse when she gets back. She'll want to know what's up immediately.”

“Okay.” Reiji shrugged and then turned the electric razor back on. Before Adryn can even think about it, Reiji carefully took a swipe of Adryn's hair off. This left them both shocked and frozen as the hair fell to the floor. 

“Oh wow...” Adryn then burst out into laughter before speaking again. “Just keep going, until nothing is left. I'm just going to close my eyes and wait until you're done. I believe in you, Reiji.” With those words, Adryn closed her eyes. Reiji nodded his head and silently went back to his task. He was careful to not hurt Adryn or go too quickly as he shaved all of her hair off. Eventually, though, Reiji finished cutting all of her hair and then turned off the razor. 

“It's done. Open your eyes.” Hesitantly, Adryn opened her eyes and gasped at her reflection. “You look different but it isn't that bad, right?”

“No, no. It's that bad. It's terrible.” Adryn then reached over and grabbed the beanie from the counter. She instantly put it on and tried her hardest to not cry.  
Not wanting to see herself anymore, Adryn left the bathroom after brushing herself off and sat on her bed as tears began to fill her eyes. Reiji gave her a moment alone before following her. 

“Remember, this is for the best. You'll finally be healthy after this week is over, you know that, right?”

“That is if I even survive all of this...” Adryn looked to the ground sadly as she spoke. Reiji instantly made his way to her and gently grabbed Adryn's face in his hands, making her look at him. 

“You will survive. I know you will.” Reiji's resolve seemed to brighten Adryn's spirits a little bit. The two didn't move as they stared at each other, feeling themselves getting closer and closer until there was a knock at the door. Immediately, Adryn and Reiji jolted away from each other. 

“What the actual fuck is going on?! Adryn! Answer me!” It was Eclipse this time and she seemed furious. Reiji released Adryn's face and watched as she got up and unlocked her door before letting Eclipse into her room. As soon as Eclipse saw the green beanie on Adryn with no hair showing, Eclipse was less furious and more worried. “What happened? What is going on?!”

“I'm going to be having surgery tomorrow to get rid of the tumor.” Eclipse's eyes began to tear up, but she didn't say anything before turning and heading out of the door. 

“I have to go tell Taemin...” With that, Eclipse was gone. 

“She's angry and upset with me,” Adryn muttered sadly as she turned to Reiji. “Am I doing the right thing?”

“It's all for the best. Besides, once you heal up, you can wear all sorts of wigs while you wait for your hair to grow back.” 

“...It won't grow back red though...”

“What is your natural hair color anyway?” Reiji was trying to distract Adryn a little bit now. It seemed to work though. 

“It was blonde, but then changed to a medium brown, kind of like your hair color but a little lighter.”

“Why do you dye your hair red?” To Reiji's question, Adryn frowned. “Should I not have asked that?”

“No, it's alright. It's really just a personal preference. Nothing more.” 

“Alright.” Reiji didn't really believe it, but he let it go. Adryn had been through enough and he didn't want to upset or anything. 

“Let's head down to go tell everyone else the wonderful 'adventure' I'll be going through for the next few days.” Reiji nodded his head and the two then headed out of the bedroom. Adryn wasn't sure what was going to be ahead of her but as long as she had Reiji, Eclipse, and everyone else she cares about there, she knew she'd most likely be alright.


	14. Departure

When Reiji and Adryn got into the kitchen, they realized that everyone else was there. Apparently, they'd all been already told about Adryn's surgery and loss of hair, because no one looked shocked to see her looking different. 

“Hey, everyone,” Adryn spoke up as she and Reiji took their seats. 

“Why are you wearing Reiji's beanie?” Ai asked simply, showing that it was his only concern. Adryn smiled at Ai softly. 

“Don't worry about it.” Adryn's response didn't make Ai happy. So he asked another question.

“You don't want to talk about personal things too?”

“I'm only wearing Reiji's beanie because he wanted to help make me feel better. That's all.”

“What is going on between you and Reiji?” Ranmaru asked the question that most everyone wanted the answer to, as most of them were in the dark about everything. Adryn and Reiji looked at each other, her face growing red as everyone stared at them. 

“Well...” Reiji began, realizing that Adryn didn't want to be the one to explain everything. “There is something going on, just not something we're ready to discuss yet. We haven't had much time to talk about it with each other yet.” 

“You shouldn't be having anything between you and a woman. If your little relationship brings QUARTET NIGHT down, you'll be in huge trouble.” Camus grumbled from his seat at the other end of the table. To Camus's comment, Reiji chuckled. 

“Don't worry, Myu. Nothing bad will happen due to Adryn's and my budding feelings for each other. They are still currently innocent feelings.” Camus wanted to say something more, but Eclipse spoke up first. 

“Food is done. Come get some.” Eclipse interrupted simply with a smile on her face. Taemin, Nova, and Eclipse had all made food, so they grabbed plates first. This was followed by Shiori getting herself some food. She then went past the kitchen table and out of the door to the kitchen. Adryn instantly hurried after her group member. 

“Is everything alright?” Adryn asked as she followed Shiori. 

“How about you take your whore ass and go back to your little man!” Shiori snapped as she spun around to face Adryn. This caused Adryn to freeze and jolt backward in shock.

“Why would you say something like that?!” 

“It's clear that PURGATORY is coming to an end. It's all Taemin and Reiji's fault! They are taking you and Eclipse from Nova and me!”

“Nothing is going to break apart our group! You don't need to worry about that. Eclipse would never do anything to hurt her father and I wouldn't leave this group.”

“You're a liar! You three all left your previous group in Korea to come here!” 

“I promise, I'm not going to leave this group. This time it's different. This is a perfect group and we're great together. Even though we don't always get along.” Hearing this from Adryn and seeing the look on her face, Shiori began to believe her. 

“Alright... If you say so...” 

“Good, now let's go back to the kitchen!” Adryn then began to drag Shiori along back to the kitchen.

“I brought some food for you,” Reiji commented once Adryn entered the room. 

“Oh, thank you.” Adryn then made her way to her seat as Shiori went to sit in her normal seat as well. There was only silence for dinner, but it was a comfortable silence. No one argued and no one made any snide comments. After dinner was eaten, Eclipse stood up and went to collect the plates, but Adryn stopped her. 

“Reiji and I will clean up. You and Taemin just go hang out while you can.” Adryn told her best friend who instantly looked appreciative. 

“Thank you.” Eclipse and Taemin then left the room together to go hang out. Ranmaru and Nova decided to go and work on their song, as did Shiori and Camus. Ai decided to remain in the kitchen and just watch Adryn and Reiji. So, with everyone where they wanted to be, Reiji and Adryn began to clean up. They put food away in the refrigerator, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and then wiped everything down. While cleaning up, occasionally Reiji and Adryn would bump into each other and chuckle or smile at each other, before resuming what they were doing. To Ai, it seemed like they were finally getting the hang of being around each other without any awkwardness. 

“Adryn, you seem a little different now. Like a weight is off of your shoulders and you're finally being who you're meant to be, or so I've heard from Eclipse and Nova.” Ai commented making Adryn and Reiji pause to look over at Ai. 

“Well... I feel a little bit more like myself. I've seen a light, so to speak.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Well, where I was before was all dark and quiet place in my head. Like I was trapped in a cage all alone and cold. Now that I've been shocked out of that, I feel much brighter and lighter. I'm more how I used to be.” Adryn explained to Ai, before continuing. “There are still issues like my bipolar disorder and other mental health issues that will come back without medication and will probably bring me back down. It's like I'm in a manic state currently.”

“Well, no matter what, you won't have to face your darkness alone anymore. Whether it's Eclipse, Nova, or me, you'll be alright and with someone.” Hearing Reiji's uplifting comments, Adryn smiled at the man.

“I know that now and I won't take it for granted as I had been.” With that settled, Adryn and Reiji finished up their cleaning and headed out of the room, leaving Ai alone to think about everything he'd seen and heard. “How about we watch a movie in the theater room?”

“Sure.” With Reiji's agreement, the two-headed into the theater room, only to see Taemin and Eclipse in there already. “Hey.” Reiji greeted them with a little wave. 

“Hey guys, wanna join us? The movie hasn't started yet.” Eclipse suggested, prompting Reiji and Adryn to nod their heads. 

So, with Taemin and Eclipse more in the middle of the room, Reiji and Adryn sat in the very back of the room. The movie then started but soon after it started, Adryn lost interest. It was a Korean movie and she had already seen it with Eclipse before, it was one of Eclipse's favorites, but Adryn wasn't all that interested in it. Meanwhile, Reiji was having a hard time following it because it didn't have subtitles and Reiji wasn't too confident in his Korean. Eventually, Adryn drifted off to sleep, leaning against Reiji with her head on his shoulder. A few minutes after that, Reiji too fell asleep with his head on Adryn's head. 

The next thing Reiji and Adryn were aware of, was the sound of a door closing. This caused Adryn to jolt, causing Reiji to then jolt as well. The two looked around and saw nothing. The theater room was darkened completely but there was no movie on. 

“Did... did we fall asleep?” Adryn asked with a chuckle. 

“I think so,” Reiji responded simply. Adryn then pulled out her phone to check the time but saw she had a text message. It was from Eclipse. She opened the message and all that she saw was a picture. It was of Adryn and Reiji sleeping together. Adryn leaned over and showed the picture to Reiji, prompting the man to laugh. “We look nice together.” 

“Sh-Shut up!” Adryn stuttered out, completely embarrassed. “Wait, it's nearly time for Taemin to leave!” This caused Reiji and Adryn to hurry out of the room to go find Taemin and Eclipse. They eventually found the two of them in Eclipse's room, packing his things. 

“Did you guys have a good nap?” Eclipse questioned with a smirk on her face. 

“Yes actually, we did.” Reiji proudly stated causing Adryn to blush. 

“Taemin is just finishing up packing right now. He'll be leaving shortly. I was planning on waking you guys up before he left.” 

“Taemin, I'm really sorry that our club night didn't go well. Next time, we'll just hang out at home or something.” Adryn spoke up, making Taemin pause. Taemin then looked at Adryn and smiled at her. 

“Don't worry. I don't blame you. I agree though, let's just stay home next time. Or maybe you, Eclipse, and Reiji can come to visit me in Korea.” Taemin then paused and thought for a moment before asking a question. “What is going on between you and Reiji, if I might ask?” This prompted Reiji and Adryn to look at each other.

“Well, I'm still in love with him like I've been for a while now.” 

“I have started to feel something for Adryn. It started after her... episode and hospitalization.” Reiji explained simply with a smile on his face. 

“What kind of something are you feeling for her?” Taemin asked, clearly having his big brother mode turned on again. 

“I like her, romantically. It isn't as strong as love yet, but it's something.” Hearing this from Reiji caused Taemin to smile. 

“Alright. Well, you're more than welcome to come to Korea to visit when the girls come.” 

“Thank you.” Reiji smiled at Taemin and Taemin returned the smile. He then went back to packing his things. Once Taemin is done with packing, Reiji and him take his bags down to the entrance hall. Reiji then backs off and sits with Adryn on a bench to give Eclipse and Taemin time to have a moment together. Eventually, the others arrive at the entrance hall to say their goodbyes to Taemin as well. Nova fusses over him, telling him to be safe and to stay in touch as she tries to not cry. 

“Adryn, good luck with your surgery tomorrow. I hope someone will keep me updated on everything.” Taemin spoke to Adryn who stood up to hug Taemin. The two hugged as Adryn thanks him and then Taemin goes to Eclipse again. “Eclipse...”

“Taemin. I'll make sure to send you some care packages every now and then to make sure you're taking good care of yourself since you have a tendency to neglect yourself for work.”

“Thank you.” Taemin then pulled Eclipse in for a kiss, in front of everyone. Once the kiss was over, Taemin headed out of the mansion with his bags as his car had been there waiting for him. With a little wave, Taemin gets into the car and they drive off. Eclipse stays and watches until Taemin's car is out of sight.  
As she sadly closed the door and turned around, she was engulfed in a hug by Nova and Adryn. 

“We know that you're having a hard time with him leaving, but we're here for you. Don't forget that, alright?” Nova told her sister as she held onto her. 

“Right, we'll always be here for you even when Taemin can't,” Adryn spoke next as she held onto Eclipse as well. 

“It's alright guys. I'm used to him leaving. I was the first one who left anyway. Besides, it's you, Adryn, who'll be needing someone these next few days.” Eclipse commented as she pulled away from Adryn and Nova. 

“Right. The surgery is tomorrow. I guess I should probably go and get ready for that.” Adryn had a hint of nervousness about her. “Who is going to drive me there anyway?” 

“I will,” Reiji spoke up, bringing a smile to Adryn's face. 

“I'm coming along though!” Nova declared instantly.

“Same.” Eclipse was next to speak. Adryn couldn't help but chuckle in response as she nodded her head. Before Adryn could leave the room, the others wished Adryn good luck in their own special ways. Adryn nodded her head and thanked them before heading to her room quickly. It was all hitting Adryn now. She was getting cut open the following day. She wasn't sure if she could handle that. “Adryn is going to have a panic attack. I just know it. Reiji, go help her.” 

“Me? Don't you want to go and help her?” Reiji wasn't against helping Adryn or anything, but he just thought that Eclipse would want to help Adryn instead. 

“I think Adryn would like it much better if you are the one that helps her through this. You two are a lot closer now, I think it'd mean a lot to Adryn if it was you.” 

“Alright, thank you.” Reiji instantly hurried out of the room after Adryn. As soon as Reiji got to Adryn's door, he went to knock on it and it opened up. This revealed Adryn on the ground with a bag, breathing heavily. Reiji made his way to Adryn's side and touched her back to soothe her. 

“What's going on?”

“It's a panic attack... I'll calm down... eventually...” Adryn breathed out through her heavy breathing. 

“What can I do to help?” 

“Nothing can help.” Reiji didn't like that answer, so he wrapped his arms around Adryn and pulled her to him.

“You're not alone anymore. You can ask and receive help now.” Immediately, Adryn turned to cling to Reiji as the tears began to fall from her eyes. 

“I'm so scared! I'm scared of the surgery and everything that comes with it! I don't want to die and I don't want my life to be changed forever!” Adryn cried out as she held onto Reiji's clothing. 

“It'll be alright Adryn. I promise.” Reiji whispered to Adryn as he held her tighter. He allowed her to continue crying until she was feeling better. She slowly began to calm down and pulled away from Reiji. “I'll help you gather your things.” 

“Okay.” Adryn then guided Reiji to get a few things for her from random places in her room. She asked him to get her case for her jewelry, and a handheld gaming system with a couple of games and its charger. Meanwhile, Adryn gathered her clothes for the hospital stay, if she could wear them. She then picked out an outfit for the day, which was just a normal outfit consisting of shorts and a tank top. Once they were all done putting everything into the bag, Reiji stood up to leave. 

“I'll leave so you can get some good rest.” 

“No!” Adryn reached out for him, clearly panicked. “I mean... Can you stay? Just until I fall asleep? You know, just in case I get all panicked again?”

“Of course. Go get ready for bed. I'll wait here.” Reiji sat down on Adryn's bed and watched as Adryn gathered her sleep clothes and headed into her bathroom. After a couple of minutes, she returned to her bedroom all ready for bed and wearing red glasses. She then climbed into bed and held onto her silkies to her chest. 

“Thank you for being here for me and for being so kind to me, even though I'm so problematic.”

“Don't worry. I'm sure I'll be problematic at times too, and I know you'll be here for me when I am.” 

“You're always problematic, Reiji,” Adryn muttered as she closed her eyes. 

“Goodnight, Adryn. Sleep well.” 

“Hmm... Goodnight...” Adryn whispered as she drifted off to sleep. Reiji then noticed that she still had on his beanie, which brought a smile to his face. Reiji then gently got up from her bed and left her room. He then headed back down to find other people to chat with until he was tired. Unfortunately for him, he ran right into Nova in the entrance hall. 

“It's so nice that you're going along with my plan, Reiji.” Nova smiled at Reiji as he frowned at her. 

“I'm not. I never have been going along with your plan, not as you thought. I actually have feelings for Adryn.” 

“Sure you do. Thank you though, for getting her to get treatment.” Nova then patted Reiji's shoulder as she walked past him. This caused Reiji to flinch away from her touch. Nova just laughed and then exited the room, disappearing into the mansion's halls. 

Unbeknownst to Reiji and Nova, Ai had been in the other hallway and had accidentally stumbled across their conversation. Ai is not an idiot, he's far from it, so he easily realized what had been going on. Reiji had started his relationship with Adryn due to Nova telling him to. Apparently, Nova would do anything to make sure Adryn got treatment. However, Ai also realized that Reiji truly did have feelings for Adryn. Ai wanted answers though, not that he particularly cared much. He was just curious about the truth. So, Ai walked into the entrance hall and approached Reiji.

“Hey there, Ai-Ai. What's up?” Reiji asked, in his usual friendly voice. He wasn't aware of what was to come. 

“Is everything you said to Adryn a lie? Do you really like Adryn? Or are you actually going along with Nova's plan to manipulate Adryn into getting treatment?” Ai asked, fully startling Reiji. Reiji recovered from the shock and then got a little angry with Ai.

“You shouldn't have been eavesdropping on our conversation.” Reiji scolded Ai, not that Ai cared or anything. “And I really do care for Adryn. I never lied to her and I never faked my growing feelings for her.”

“Does Adryn know about Nova's plan?”

“No.”

“I think I should tell Eclipse about this. She asked me to keep an eye on you to make sure everything was true with you and Adryn, but now it seemed like there could be some doubt of your feelings.” Hearing this, Reiji began to panic. 

“Please Ai-Ai. Don't tell Eclipse just yet. She'd go right to Adryn and I want to be the one to tell Adryn about the plan. I truly care for Adryn. Isn't that all that matters?”

“No.”

“What is Adryn hears this and then decides to not go through with the treatment.” This caused Ai to frown deeply. Even so, he knew that Reiji made a good point. 

“I won't tell Eclipse yet. After her treatment, you can tell them about it.”

“Thank you Ai-Ai! I owe you one!” Reiji moved to hug Ai, but he moved out of the way and left the entrance hall. This caused Reiji to frown, but then he just decided to head to his room. Reiji figured that it was late enough he could sleep now. He also didn't want any more confrontations that night. 

So, as Reiji walked back to his room, he thought about everything. He felt bad about bringing Ai into the problem, but he knew that it would be alright. He just needed to be 100% honest with Adryn after everything was done. Things would go alright, he just knew it. As soon as Reiji got to his room, he got ready for bed and set his phone alarm to make sure he got up on time. Reiji drifted off to sleep, wishing the best for Adryn and hoping everything went well with her surgery.


	15. Fallout

The next morning, Adryn awoke to the sound of her phone alarm going off. She turned off the alarm and sat up before looking around her room. She couldn't see too much due to the lack of glasses and the fact that it was a dimly lit room. She then sighed and climbed out of bed to go get ready for the day. She decided to not put her contacts in because she figured her eyes would be closed a lot that day, and she didn't want the contacts to get all wonky on her. Adryn wasn't allowed to drink anything, so she just got her purse and her bag ready the rest of the way and headed down to visit with her cub. 

Adryn set her purse and bag down in the entrance hall before heading to the cubs' room. Once she got there, she saw that Serenity and Precious were still sleeping, but she chose to wake up Serenity anyway. Serenity sleepily looked up to Adryn and made a grumbling noise at her. 

“Hey there, sweetheart. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be gone for a little bit, but I'll be back eventually. I love you.” Adryn whispered to Serenity before leaning down to kiss her cub on the head. “Go back to sleep now. It'll all be okay.” With that, Serenity laid back down fully and fell back to sleep. Adryn smiled at her cub and then left the room. Unfortunately, Adryn wasn't watching where she was going and walked right into Reiji. 

“Ow...” Adryn muttered as she recoiled from the collision. 

“Sorry about that,” Reiji muttered as it was partially his fault as well. 

“What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be eating or something?” 

“I was worried about you when I found your room empty.”

“Sorry for worrying you. Now go get something to eat. We'll be going soon. Where are Eclipse and Nova?”

“They are eating something. I chose not to because I'm not hungry yet.” Adryn found that to be strange, but chose to not question it. Instead, the two of them headed to the entrance hall and sat down together on the bench. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Oddly calm, to be honest with you. Right now, I'm not worried, scared, or anything. Just at peace with everything.” 

“I'm glad,” Reiji responded with a smile that quickly faded. Reiji knew that telling Adryn about Nova's plan could ruin Adryn's peaceful feeling. Adryn noticed how quickly Reiji's smile had disappeared from his face and was worried about him.

“What's wrong? You seem a little down.” 

“Don't worry about it.”

“Hey, if I'm no longer alone, then the same to you.” This time, Reiji's smile lasted for longer as he smiled at the woman next to him. 

“I just didn't get a good night's rest is all.” 

“I'm sorry.” Adryn frowned but Reiji just patted her back.

“Don't be sorry. Just focus on today.” Adryn then nodded her head as Eclipse and Nova entered the entrance hall. 

“What are you two talking about?” Eclipse asked as she approached the two on the bench.

“Just chatting about today,” Reiji replied simply.

“Well, it's time to go, are you ready?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah I am. Let's go!” Adryn hopped up from the bench and grabbed her purse. Reiji then grabbed her other bag and carried it out to his car. Adryn got to sit in the front seat with Eclipse and Nova in the backseat.

During the ride to the hospital, everyone was silent for their own reasons. Adryn was just neutral about what was going to happen to her. She'd gotten her worries out of her system the night before, for the most part. Reiji was too worried about Adryn so he didn't want to speak, in fear of saying the wrong thing. Eclipse was worried as well, but she was keeping quiet because she knew that Adryn wouldn't want to talk about it. Then there was Nova. She was just too happy to have Adryn finally going through treatment to save her life, so she wasn't worried at all. 

Soon, they got to the hospital and they headed to where Adryn was supposed to be. They were directed to a private room to wait in while the doctors got ready to take Adryn back after she'd checked in. So, Adryn sat between Nova and Eclipse, with both of them holding her hands, while Reiji sat next to Eclipse. Reiji was deep in thought once again as he tried to not be too worried. Meanwhile, Eclipse was trying her hardest to not shake from her worries. Nova thought, was shaking now because the worries of the day had finally gotten to her. Adryn was still oddly calm but as soon as a nurse walked into the room, Adryn was hit with a wave of panic. 

“Adryn, we're ready for you.” The nurse spoke up once she was in the room. Adryn nodded her head, shakily released Nova and Eclipse's hands, and then stood up. Everyone else followed suit and stood as well. Adryn turned to her friends and smiled at them. 

“I'll see you guys later. Don't worry too much, alright?” Adryn said to her friends, who then instantly moved towards her. Eclipse hugged her first, telling her to be good. Nova then hugged Adryn, telling her to stay calm. Reiji then hugged Adryn, telling her good luck and that they'll be waiting for her. “Thank you all. See ya!” With that, Adryn disappeared with the nurse to go and get ready for her surgery. This left her three friends just standing there looking at the now closed door. After a few moments of just standing there, a different nurse walked in.

“Can I get you three anything from the cafeteria? Food or drink, anything?” The nurse asked in a polite voice. She seemed to not even notice or care that these three people were idols.

“Some coffee or tea would be great,” Reiji spoke up first. 

“Yeah, that's a good idea.” Eclipse agreed simply.

“I'll be right back with some coffee and some tea.” The nurse replied with a smile. 

“Thank you.” Eclipse said to her as the nurse walked out of the room. With them now just waiting, the three sat down and started doing their own things. They all began to mess around with their phones until the nurse came back with a cart. On the cart, there was tea and coffee with a bunch of things to fix their drinks up with. Before the nurse left again, Eclipse thanked her once more. So, with their drink stuff there, Reiji and Eclipse got up and made their drinks. Reiji got his coffee and sweetened it slightly, before sitting back down. While Eclipse made some tea and began to pour honey into it. She poured and poured until Nova spoke up.

“I think you're drink is 90% honey and 10% tea at this point.” Nova laughed causing Eclipse to jolt and set the honey back down. 

“I hope it isn't too sweet now.” Eclipse commented as she took a sip. She then sighed with happiness. “It's perfect.” Eclipse then went and sat back down. Nova then decided to stand up and pour herself some coffee, then proceeded to sweeten it nearly as much as Eclipse sweetened her tea. Nova then returned to her seat, and all that was heard was sipping and drinking. Not being able to take the noises, Eclipse spoke up. “Adryn will be fine, we all know that. However, this will probably take some time so we should get comfortable and maybe take a nap or something.”

“We should play a game on our phones. Reiji, want to play with us?” Nova asked the man, who looked over at her before responding. 

“No thank you,” Reiji responded politely with a hint of tiredness in his voice. 

“How are you holding up, Reiji? You're not seeming like yourself today.” Eclipse mentioned as she looked at the man next to her. 

“I'm sorry about that. I just feel a bit off today since I didn't sleep well last night.” Reiji said that, but he was actually nervous about telling Adryn the truth. 

“Were you worried about Adryn? Or was it something else that kept you up last night?” Nova asked, with a faux concerned look on her face. However, Eclipse didn't seem to notice it as Reiji did. 

“I was just worried, that's all,” Reiji responded before setting his coffee down and pulling out his phone again. The man then began to do something on it that neither Eclipse nor Nova could see. Eclipse and Nova looked at each other and shrugged, letting the conversation go. They then pulled out their phones and began to play a game together. 

Meanwhile, Reiji was staring at the photo on his phone of himself and Adryn. The one they'd taken together before they cut all Adryn's hair off. Reiji looked at the smile on Adryn's face and hoped with his whole being that she'd understand him when he explained everything to her. He didn't want to ruin things with her because he was genuinely caring for her and was actually liking her. With how she'd been hurt before, Reiji had a feeling that she was going to react badly to the knowledge of Nova's plan and how Reiji had gone along with it, to a point. 

Reiji then internally sighed and reached for his coffee and went to take a drink, only to see that it was empty. So, Reiji got up and got another cup, which turned out to be one of many that day. He then sat back down and began to count tiles on the floor as Eclipse and Nova played on their phones, laughing and chatting every now and then. After a little while, despite the loudness from the women, and the coffee he'd drank, Reiji drifted off to sleep. 

A couple of hours later, a doctor walks into the room. Immediately, the three idols stood up and listened carefully as the doctor spoke. 

“Adryn made it through surgery just fine. She'll be allowed guests if she wants them in another few hours after she fully comes out of the anesthesia.” The female doctor stated to the three. 

“Thank you,” Eclipse responded, prompting the doctor to nod her head and leave. Eclipse then was hit with the realization that she was hungry as her stomach growled loudly. “I guess now that I'm not as tense, I can be hungry?”

“Same.” Nova chuckled simply as Reiji nodded his head. Reiji was actually only a little hungry, but he didn't want to worry the women by saying so. 

“I'll get that nurse back in here.” Eclipse then left the room and returned a few moments later with a different nurse. This time the nurse was a male. 

“So, what can I do for you three?” The male nurse asked the group. 

“We were wondering if we could get some food,” Nova spoke up first. The nurse nodded his head and pulled out a menu for the cafeteria. 

“Just tell me what you'd like and I'll bring it up when I can.” 

“Thank you,” Eclipse responded as she took the menu from his hand. The three idols then went through it and told the man what they'd like to eat. The nurse then left the room to go and get the food ready. “So, how are you feeling now, Reiji?”

“I feel a little better. Hunger has taken place of my worries.” Reiji responded with a chuckle. Eclipse and Nova laughed with him, causing Reiji to smile at them. Reiji did honestly feel a little better now that he'd gotten a little sleep, but he was even more concerned now.

The food came soon after they'd asked for it and they ate in mostly silence. After that, a couple of hours went by and a nurse came in only to tell them that Adryn wasn't feeling up to visitors. She was feeling nauseous, had a headache and the incision was aching. Eclipse was worried but was reassured that those were all normal side effects from the surgery. After the nurse left, a few minutes went by and a different doctor walked into the room. 

“I was given permission from Adryn to let you three know how everything went.” The male doctor told the three idols. “She'll need to stay a few days and after that, she'll need some radiation because we weren't able to get all of the tumor.” 

“Will the radiation get it all?” Eclipse asked, worried for her friend. 

“We hope it will.” 

“When can Adryn get her bag and purse that she'd brought here with her?” Reiji questioned the doctor next. 

“When she's up for visitors, then someone can bring her bags to her.” 

“Thank you for letting us know everything,” Eclipse responded to the doctor instead of Reiji. The doctor nodded his head and left the three alone again. Eclipse sighed to herself. Nova began to tear up because she was hoping for a clean bill of health for Adryn. Meanwhile, Reiji remained neutral. 

“I'm going to go get Adryn's stuff from the car.” Reiji suddenly spoke up. 

“Take Nova with you, she needs some air.” Reiji wanted to tell Eclipse no, but Nova already was up and she was heading to the door without Reiji. So, Reiji just followed along with her until they got outside of the hospital and got to Reiji's car. Reiji then wanted to confront Nova about everything he was worried about. 

“Nova.”

“Hmm?” Nova asked, turning around to look at the man.

“Ai-Ai found out about your plan and now thinks that I'm pretending to like Adryn to go along with the plan.” 

“Well, are you?” Nova laughed, causing Reiji to frown. 

“I never went along with your plan completely in the first place. I decided to open my heart to Adryn to see if anything could be between her and me.” To this, Nova just laughed before responding. 

“Everything is going according to my plans. You're just a pawn to me for me to mess with.” Hearing these words from Nova in a darker tone of voice shocked Reiji. He was surprised to see this darker side of her. “Are you worried about how Adryn will react when she finds out?” Nova was back to her normal calm and upbeat self again, throwing Reiji off again.

“I am worried because I don't want her to push me away or be hurt by a misunderstanding.” Nova then laughed at him again. 

“You should be worried since someone has done this to her before. I got someone else to go along with my plans, but unlike you, he actually did as I told him to do.” 

“Was that other person John?” 

“Yup. He was willing to hurt Adryn however I wanted him to.” Nova then smiled at Reiji, a smile that sent chills down Reiji's spine. “I sure hope that Adryn doesn't hate you after this.” With that, Nova grabbed Adryn's purse and went to go back to Eclipse. 

“What?” Reiji muttered to himself. He couldn't believe everything he was just told. It was horrible how Nova was continuously manipulating people into a relationship with Adryn. Not that he'd been manipulated to that extent. Reiji then shook it off, now wanting to bring the problems back with him. He then grabbed Adryn's bag and headed back inside. Once there, Eclipse spoke up. 

“I was just informed that Adryn can be seen now, but she wants to see me first.” Hearing this from Eclipse made Reiji a little sad, but he handed over the bag anyway. Nova then gave Eclipse Adryn's purse and Eclipse went off into the halls. She'd been given instructions on how to get to Adryn's room. Eclipse didn't see the smirk on Nova's face, directed at Reiji as Eclipse was leaving them all alone. Instead, Eclipse made her way to Adryn's room only to see Adryn partially sitting up with bandages wrapped around her head. “Hey, Adryn.” 

“Hey,” Adryn muttered back as she turned carefully to look at her friend. “How are Reiji and Nova holding up? How are you holding up? I think we've been here for a while now, right?” 

“You don't need to worry about us. We'll wait anywhere and for as long as we need to if it's for you.”

“Thank you. Oh, you can set my bags down on that chair.” Adryn pointed to a chair across the room. Eclipse does as she's asked and sat the bags down before moving a different chair to Adryn's bedside. “I'll be here for a few days.”

“I know, a doctor told us.” 

“I can't believe that maybe after this week, I'll be completely healthy again. Well as healthy as I was before all this tumor and cancer shit started.” Adryn then frowned. “Everything is looking up in my life. Everything is going so good... There is bound to be something bad getting ready to happen to me now.” 

“What do you think is going to happen?”

“Well, I don't know, but it will be with Reiji and myself. I know that. Every time things are going this good, something with whoever I love goes wrong.” This caused Eclipse to chuckle at her. 

“Reiji isn't like that. He's a great guy and you know it.” Adryn gently shook her head. 

“No matter who it is, they're capable of good and evil.” Eclipse frowned due to this but decided to change the subject anyway. 

“What kind of wig do you want while your hair is growing back?” 

“I want it to be my normal style but an orange-red color. Maybe one that glows under blacklight or something?”

“Alright, let's look.” Eclipse then pulled out her phone and the two women began to go through some pages of wigs to buy. After some time, they found a few and purchased them, and have them sent to their mansion. 

“You know, you're awfully positive about me recovering from everything.”

“Being positive is the only thing I can be right now.” 

“You shouldn't be too positive. You need to allow yourself to feel the dark emotions of Taemin leaving again. I know that's bothering you.”

“It's just so hard to be without him. After all those years of being alone, just for my first and hopefully only relationship with Taemin to be a constant long-distance relationship, it sucks! Taemin has and will have all of my firsts. I honestly just want him to be here. Even if we're working together. I just want him within my reach.”

“Well then, let's work with him. Let's do a group thing with him after everything with QUARTET NIGHT is done or something.”

“That'd be nice, but I don't think his company would be alright with it.” 

“You won't know unless you try. Maybe you should just move back to Korea to be with him.”

“Would you come with me?”

“No. I'd stay with PURGATORY. Or work by myself here in Japan. Japan has always been my dream, while Korea is yours. Taemin is your dream.”

“But Adryn...”

“It'll be alright. Nothing needs to be figured out yet. We still need to finish up our current project.” 

“What are you going to do about the project now? You can't be in the public eye for some time with all of your issues. Besides, we don't have a set end date with our current project.” 

“Oh, right. I got a response from Daichi. He said that mine and Reiji's song was allowed to go forward. But he wants me to heal up before we do anything else.”

“Did you tell Reiji yet?”

“No, he responded some time last night and I forgot about it this morning.” 

“I see.” The two then just remained in silence before Adryn yawned and then winced in pain. “I'll let you get some rest.”

“Send someone in to give me more pain medication too.” Adryn chuckled a little bit but winced again. 

“Sure.” With that, Eclipse got up and left the room. She found a nurse and told her about Adryn's pain, before heading back to the waiting room that Reiji and Nova were in. when Eclipse walked in, she saw that Reiji was sleeping and Nova was on her phone. When the door to the room closed behind Eclipse, Reiji shot up, which startled Nova into nearly dropping her phone. Ignoring that, the two stood up to greet Eclipse. 

“How was Adryn? Is she alright? Was she coherent? Can we see her now?” Nova berated Eclipse with all these questions before Reiji started his own questioning. 

“Is Adryn alright?” Reiji asked simply. “Is she worried about anything?”

“No, Adryn is just fine. She is in some pain, but she's tired too so no one else can see her today. Adryn wasn't concerned at all, probably because of the medication she's on.” Hearing this from Eclipse calmed the two down and they returned to their seats. 

“What should we do now?” Reiji asked after a moment of thought. 

“We should probably just head home. Adryn won't be up to any more visitors today. We can probably see her tomorrow if she's up to it.” Eclipse suggested simply. Reiji and Nova both nodded and so they headed out of the hospital and back to Reiji's car. Once in the car, Nova's stomach growled. So, since they all could go for some food, they hurried back home.

After they got back, no one greeted them. So, the three of them went on a mission to round everyone up to the kitchen. Reiji found Shiori and Camus finishing up their song in a living room. Eclipse found Ranmaru and Ai in the kitchen. Nova just went to the kitchen as well, she didn't feel like searching. Once everyone was rounded up, Eclipse explained Adryn's situation.

“I'm happy that Adryn is alright,” Shiori commented simply. Ranmaru, Ai, and Camus all nodded their heads to Shiori's comment. 

“Is anyone else hungry? Shall we have an early dinner?” Eclipse asked the group around her. A few of them nodded their heads in agreement, so Eclipse, Nova, and Shiori went to work making dinner. 

“So, what should we be doing now? Everything is a little hectic.” Nova commented as she looked at her sister. 

“I think we should all be working on our songs still. Remember, the goal of this was to make PURGATORY more popular.”

“Can we become popular with a member that can't even be seen right now?” Shiori asked sadly as she looked to Eclipse. 

“Adryn will have to have some time to heal, but she'll be able to wear wigs eventually, and then she'll look mostly normal. She'll be more normal once she starts taking her medications again though.” Eclipse then thought about it before continuing. “I wonder if Adryn even will take her two medications. We haven't talked about it yet.”

“I doubt Adryn will refuse to take her medications as she probably wants to feel normal, well her normal again,” Nova responded to her sister's worries. 

“Who knows. She's unpredictable sometimes.” Eclipse shrugged as she returned to focusing on her cooking. Meanwhile, Ai had been staring at Reiji this whole time. At first, Reiji was ignoring it, but after Ai continued to stare, Reiji got a little concerned. 

“Ai-Ai, why are you staring at me?” Reiji asked when the staring had finally become too much. 

“You haven't been your loud self today, I was wondering what was wrong with you,” Ai responded simply. 

“I'm just worried about Adryn, that's all.” Ai didn't believe him, but Camus had a bigger problem to voice than Ai did.

“You've been acting strange ever since you met that woman.” Camus brought up in an annoyed voice. 

“What do you mean?” Reiji responded, confused. 

“You just haven't been yourself all of the time. You're different.” Ranmaru answered before Camus could. 

“...I'm sorry for being different.”

“Don't be. You were getting annoying always being loud.” 

“So mean, Ran-Ran!” Reiji faked cried prompting Nova to chuckle at the man. 

“Maybe you've changed because you've fallen in love with Adryn. Love tends to change people.” Nova's comment caused everyone to pause and turn to look at Reiji. Reiji just stares at Nova, confused and conflicted. 

“...I do like her, but I don't think it's love, since we haven't known each other for too long.” 

“Eclipse fell in love with Taemin before they ever met and he loved her right away once they did meet. You know, due to the whole soulmate and past life thing.” 

“I just don't think Adryn and I are in a 'love-at-first-sight' type of situation.” 

“Do you think you'll date her?” Nova clearly wasn't ready to stop pushing Reiji just yet clearly. Reiji didn't respond though. “Are you planning on breaking Adryn's heart, or not?” Everyone looked back to Reiji and at first, their looks didn't bother Reiji. However, they were expecting an answer that Reiji just didn't know just yet, which caused Reiji to begin to get upset. After a few moments of looking at everyone, Reiji was full-blown upset. 

“I don't know, Nova! I can't answer your questions and I wish everyone would stop pressuring Adryn and me to get together! That isn't fair to either of us!” Reiji was shocked at his outburst as everyone else was. The looks on everyone's faces caused Reiji to get up and leave the room. 

Reiji had never snapped at anyone like that before. He never showed such anger towards someone but he couldn't help it. Nova pushed him too far but she seemed to be too into her own little world to notice. 

“Nova! That was uncalled for! Those things are not your business and you shouldn't be putting yourself into their relationship or lack thereof relationship like that!” Eclipse scolded her little sister. 

“Adryn belongs to me. Whatever happens with her is my business and I should be putting myself into their relationship because they've only gotten this far because of me!” Nova snapped back to Eclipse. 

“What are you talking about?” To this, Nova laughed, causing Eclipse to get worried. 

“Ask Reiji what he and I planned together.” 

“You manipulated another man to get together with Adryn, only to tear her down again?!”

“I never expected that Reiji would actually start to like Adryn, to be honest. Even so, it was my plan to get him to pretend to date Adryn and love her just so she'd get treatment. Now that she's gone through that treatment, we can talk about it.” 

“I found out yesterday from Reiji. I overheard Nova and him talking about it.” Ai confirmed Eclipse's worst fears. 

“What is wrong with you?! Are you insane?! You're not in the right by doing this, you know that right?! I'm going to have to tell Adryn. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to her?!” Eclipse was close to full-on yelling at her sister now. Nova didn't seem to care though and just laughed at Eclipse's concerns. 

“Adryn shouldn't have broken up with me then.” Nova's simple words caused Eclipse to do the only thing she could. Eclipse slapped her sister right across the face. 

“You know what, Nova? Adryn was never the one who needed mental help, as much as you need it.” Eclipse then turned her attention to everyone else in the room. “Please forget everything you just heard.” The upset Eclipse then hurried out of the room to go find the equally upset Reiji. She found him walking slowly to his bedroom. When Reiji heard Eclipse coming, he paused and turned around. He then grimaced, expecting the worst. 

“Hey...” Reiji muttered to Eclipse once she got to him. “You look mad.”

“I'm not mad at you, Reiji, but you do need to tell me everything right now. I need to know if I need to break my best friend's heart or not.” 

“You know about Nova's plan?”

“Yes.” To this, Reiji sighed and headed the rest of the way to his room with Eclipse trailing behind him. Once in his room, Eclipse closed the door behind her as Reiji sat down on his bed while looking to the floor. Eclipse chose to remain standing, due to her being so worked up. She watched the man's face and how he seemed actually upset over everything. 

“One night, Nova came to my room and told me she had a plan that she wanted me to go along with. I never told her I would go along with it, instead, I decided to go partially along with it. I opened up myself to Adryn to see if there could be anything between us. It turned out there could be, so I decided to go forward with my feelings. Nova told me that we'd be accepted by our bosses because we could be a power couple.” Reiji then sighed and looked up at Eclipse. “I don't know if I love Adryn or not. I'm just not there yet. I never meant to deceive Adryn or go along with Nova's plan. I want to be with Adryn and I didn't just start liking her to get her to get treatment. I just... I'm just not sure about love because I haven't loved too many people and those I've loved, I've lost.”

“It's alright to not know about love. The only reason it was so easy with Taemin and me and the reason we loved so quickly was because we've had past lives together. We're soulmates.” Reiji looked confused, so Eclipse continued. “One day, I saw a music video of Taemin and I saw something in his eyes that made me realize that I knew him and had a connection with him. In that past life, Jonghyun and I were twins. He is a huge factor in how I found out about the soulmate and past life with Taemin stuff. Adryn and I did a Ouija board session and talked to Jonghyun about everything.” Eclipse then smiled at Reiji, who seemed as confused as before. “I'm a witch and Adryn is also one, sort of. We've always been a part of the paranormal stuff.”

“Alright...” Reiji wasn't too sure about it, but let Eclipse continue her explanation. 

“Once Taemin and I met officially, he instantly felt the same as I did. We got together soon after that, once we got to know each other pretty good in person.”

“I would love to have that type of connection with someone. It'd make it a lot easier rather than trying to figure everything out myself.”

“That's where you're wrong, Reiji. It isn't figuring it out by yourself. You need to figure it out with Adryn because this involves her too.” Eclipse then frowned at Reiji and looked concerned. “Adryn will have a bad reaction to the Nova thing because she'd dealt with it before with John and that hurt her terribly. Even though you never went with her plan, Adryn won't believe you completely because of her mental issues. However, she won't be finding it out until her radiation is over and she's home. She might lose her will to live over this because of how unstable she can be right now. She might have a breakdown.” 

“I've been tearing myself up about this. I don't want to hurt her or lose her over this.” 

“As long as you're honest with her and sincere about your feelings, Adryn will eventually understand.”

“Eclipse, I'm sorry about this. I didn't want to cause all this drama.”

“Don't worry, in this house drama is all we know, especially when feelings are involved.” Eclipse laughed as she smiled at the man who looked a little more like himself now. 

“Thank you for giving me a chance to explain everything.” 

“Everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves before they get judged.” 

“So... Can you do magic and stuff?” To Reiji's sudden question, Eclipse couldn't help but laugh loudly. 

“I do magic sometimes, but I have to be careful because it takes a lot of energy out of me. Besides, I don't want to throw off the balance of the world by accidentally doing something I shouldn't do. Adryn does magic too, but hasn't in a long time.” 

“I see... Thank you for talking with me. I have a lot to think about and process now.” 

“Remember, you need to tell Adryn everything once she comes back home.” With that, Eclipse made her way to the door before turning back to Reiji. “Good luck.” Just like that, Reiji was left all alone in his room. 

“How am I supposed to go through all of this and handle it all?” Reiji muttered to himself as he sighed. Figuring that it was late enough, and to get everything off of his mind, Reiji decided to go back to sleep and debate everything another day. He knew he'd have to face it the following day, but he just needed to recharge and sleep. So, he did.


	16. Final Breakdown

The next few days consisted of Adryn in the hospital getting ready for radiation. She had to go through a few different things before getting released from the hospital, just to go right into radiation. After the radiation was over, Adryn was informed that they got all of the tumor and she could finally go home, despite the fatigue and the slight swelling of the radiated area. 

Reiji and Eclipse came to pick Adryn up when she told them that she was ready. Eclipse was able to give Adryn a wig she would be able to wear since she was mostly healed up enough. The wig was an orange-red color and it was the same style as her normal hair before she shaved it off. 

Once Adryn was all ready, they headed to the car and Eclipse got in the backseat while Adryn sat in the front with Reiji. This is when Adryn realized that Nova wasn't there. 

“Hey... Where is Nova?” Adryn asked the two in the car with her. She then realized that Nova hadn't come to visit her at all during her entire stay in the hospital. 

“Nova and Ranmaru are working on their song. They've been very busy and she couldn't get away. They want to finish it as soon as possible.” To Eclipse's explanation, Adryn frowned. She could feel that something was off just by the way that Eclipse spoke about her sister. Adryn was too tired to keep talking about it though, so she let it go, in favor of looking at Reiji, who hadn't said a single word the whole time. 

“Are you alright, Reiji?” Adryn asked, quite concerned for the man. 

“I'll explain when we get home,” Reiji responded without even looking at Adryn. This confused her very much. 

“Huh?” Adryn wanted to know more about what he meant, but Reiji remained silent and Eclipse gave no help to relieve Adryn's confusion. The rest of the car ride was in complete silence, with Adryn just staring out of the window, thinking about how nice it'd be to get home and take a nap. 

Once they did get home, Adryn expected at least someone to come and say hello to her, but no one did. This made Adryn go from confused, to worried. However, she had no time to question it as Reiji just took her hand and led her through the mansion to his room. Since Reiji was so silent, which wasn't like him at all, Adryn was quite worried. She could also sense some negativity from him, which was upsetting her. 

“Sit on one of the chairs.” Reiji finally spoke up as they entered his room. Adryn did as she was told and Reiji sat in the other chair next to her. 

“What happened? What's going on? Is everything alright?” Adryn asked, wanting all of those questions answered immediately.

“We need to talk, but don't freak out, alright?” Hearing those words caused Adryn's heart to stop beating for a moment. She was now more than worried, she was scared. 

“What is going on, Reiji?” To Adryn's question, Reiji let everything fall out of him. He told her everything. He told her about Nova's plot against her. Nova's trying to manipulate Reiji into loving her as she'd done with John. Reiji definitely made sure to mention that he never agreed to go along with the plan, but that Nova thought that he did. 

“I genuinely do like you, and I don't want to lose you because of this.” Reiji finished his long explanation of everything. Adryn was silent for a few minutes before finally speaking. 

“Have you lied to me about anything?” 

“I never lied about how I feel about you or how I care for you.” With that, Adryn looked to the ground and was silent again as she debated her next question. 

“How can I trust you?”

“I know that you trust me. That shouldn't change because I never went along with Nova's sick plan to lie to you just to get you to get treatment.” Adryn sighed again and stood up, causing Reiji to as well. 

“I have to do something.” With that, Adryn headed downstairs with Reiji right behind her. Adryn followed the sounds of what seemed like arguing from Nova and Eclipse to a living room. Adryn wasn't sure why they were now yelling at each other, but they stopped when Adryn entered the room. 

“Hey there! I'm glad to see you up and about, Adryn!” Nova happily stated as Adryn walked right to Nova. However, instead of responding, Adryn punched Nova, right in the face. Reiji and Eclipse gasped out as they watched Nova crumple to the ground. “What is your problem!?”

“You've meddled in my life for too long. You need to get over yourself. I don't belong to you and I no longer have romantic feelings for you, nor will I ever again. Even if Reiji and I don't get into a relationship, I will never end up back with you.” Adryn's words cut like a knife into Nova, as the lilac-haired woman began to sob. 

“Please, Adryn, please rethink this!” Nova pawed at Adryn trying to get a hold of her, but Adryn just shoved Nova away and turned to Eclipse. 

“I'm sorry for hitting your sister.” 

“It's alright, she deserved it.” Adryn nodded her head as she turned to look at Reiji next. She then frowned at him and his worried look on his face. 

“Are you alright? Your hand is bleeding.” Reiji commented, worried about Adryn. 

“Can I be left alone for the rest of the day? I... have a lot to go through...” 

“Adryn, I'm sorry...” Adryn didn't respond to Reiji though, she just walked past him. 

“It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust myself right now...” With that, Adryn headed to her room. The moment that her door closed and locked behind her, Adryn collapsed to the ground. She began to quietly sob as she thought about everything. Half of her was telling herself that Reiji was a liar and that he doesn't care about her. The other half was telling her that Reiji wouldn't hurt her like this and that he's a good guy. Eventually, the sobbing woman crawled to her bed and passed out after crawling under the covers. The excitement and hurt from the day took everything out of her, and she cried herself to sleep. 

Meanwhile, Nova got herself up from the floor, still crying with no one going to console her. Eclipse and Reiji were just ignoring her, to be honest. 

“Reiji, Adryn will eventually come around. She'll know the truth and know who truly cared about her, and who doesn't.” Eclipse said to the worried man. 

“Thank you for allowing me to do this myself.” Reiji didn't wait for a response from Eclipse, he just headed to the kitchen to get a drink to try to calm himself down. Instead of getting a drink, he just sat down at the counter. He didn't even notice that Ai was in there until Ai asked a question. 

“Does Adryn know the truth now?” Ai's words caused Reiji to yelp out in fear as he jumped right off the chair, nearly falling onto the floor before he caught himself. Reiji then spun around to look at Ai to respond. 

“Yes, Ai-Ai. Adryn and I spoke and she is in her room now.” 

“Are you alright? You don't seem like yourself right now.”

“I don't feel like myself anymore. I just want things to be more clear to me and things to be back to normal.” 

“Do you want to go back to a life without Adryn?”

“No, I wouldn't want that.” Reiji's response was instant. “Now that I know Adryn, I wouldn't want her out of my life.” 

“Are you just stupid, or are you really this clueless when it comes to your feelings?” Reiji was instantly offended by Ai's harsh words. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Look up the symptoms of love. See if that is how you feel.” With that, Ai left the room, leaving the confused and still offended Reiji all alone. So, Reiji pulled out his phone and looked up the word love on the internet. 

Reiji read that the characteristics of love were mutual respect, acceptance, selflessness, trust, healing, growth, companionship, communication, and teamwork, among many others, including sexual attraction, but that wasn't the most important or the deciding factor. Reiji then read that the feeling of love was also wanting to grow old with someone, wanting a family with them, and wanting to protect them and keep them safe as much as possible. 

“I would like to spend more time with Adryn. We have most of the characteristics of love and I'd hate to see her hurt or dying again.” Reiji muttered to himself. “There is some sexual attraction to her, as she is a very beautiful woman, inside and out.” Reiji then thought about his future and how he'd like to see it go. “I would like to see Adryn in my future and a family would be nice one day, with Adryn would make it better.” All of this made Reiji realize his feelings for Adryn. He wasn't in love with Adryn, but he loved Adryn in some form. It wasn't complete or strong yet, but Reiji knew it now... He loved Adryn. 

So, Reiji put his phone away and walked out of the kitchen. He was in a daze, so he nearly walked right into Ranmaru and Camus who had been about to enter the kitchen. Reiji was so much in shock that he just began to talk to them ignoring their angry comments about him almost colliding with them. 

“I love Adryn...” Reiji muttered quietly to Camus and Ranmaru. 

“Yeah, we know,” Camus grumbled annoyed with Reiji. 

“Everyone but you and Adryn knows about that,” Ranmaru explained to Reiji. 

“I know now... but what do I do?” Reiji looked to Ranmaru as the man sighed. 

“You go to her. You tell her your feelings before she ends up leaving you forever.”

“Thank you, Ran-Ran.” Reiji seemed to have a little life in his eyes now. He hurried off to Adryn's room, only to find it locked. He knocked at the door but got no response for a little while, so he sighed to himself. He then pulled out his phone and texted Adryn, letting her know that they needed to talk and he needed to tell her something so she should come to his room no matter how late it is. Reiji then headed to his room and left his door cracked open before sitting down on his bed. 

Reiji waited, and waited some more as his eyes got heavier and heavier. The stress of the situation finally started to come down. Eventually, Reiji yawned and laid down with every intention of only resting a little bit. However, against his wishes, Reiji fell into a deep sleep. 

~

Adryn woke up feeling completely rested and ready for the day. Too bad when she checked her phone, it was 3 am. This was also when Adryn realized she had a text from Reiji. So after she read it, she instantly got up from her bed and headed into the hallway. She saw that the bedroom door to Reiji's room was slightly open, so she peaked into the room. She saw that Reiji was n his bed, uncovered and shivering slightly. 

Adryn immediately went to Reiji quietly and covered him up as good as she could and then sat down next to him. Adryn couldn't help but smile at the sleeping man. He looked so at peace as he slept, unlike how he'd seemed after and during the talk about Nova's disgusting plan. Adryn then brushed Reiji's hair out of his face and spoke out loud. 

“I'm sorry that you had to deal with Nova and was put in this uncomfortable situation.” Adryn then laid down next to Reiji. She meant to stay awake and never thought she'd fall back to sleep considering how a few moments ago, she was fully awake, but soon, Adryn drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. 

Suddenly, hearing the sound of someone else breathing with him, Reiji woke up. He was freaked out at first because he thought he was alone in the room until he opened his eyes and saw orange-red right in front of his face. He knew this meant it was Adryn, but still, he jolted backward, causing Adryn to stir. She then sat up, looking shocked. 

“I'm so sorry for falling asleep next to you. I came in here around 3 am but you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up.” Adryn quickly explained before Reiji could get the wrong idea. 

“It's alright. This is good. I need to tell you something.” Reiji then took a breath and smiled at Adryn. “I'm pretty sure that I love you. I'm not in love with you like you are with me, but there is definitely love there. It's only begun and I want these feelings to grow more.” 

“I'm glad and I know that you're telling the truth, but... I still have some doubts.” 

“Doubts?” 

“I think that you're maybe only feeling something for me because I was sick and needed help.”

“I wouldn't develop feelings like that.” Reiji was a little offended that Adryn would even say something like that. However, she then shook her head and spoke. 

“I'm sorry. The darkness inside of me told me to say that.” Adryn sighed and looked away from Reiji. 

“Are you going to start taking your medications again once you can?” Hearing this question, Adryn looked back to Reiji. 

“Yes, I will. I'm tired of feeling so dark and I was doing great on my medications. I'd like to go back to that. I mean I had my dark moments, but nothing like this.” 

“Well, no matter what, I'll be here for you.” 

“Thank you, and you know it's the same for you as well. I'll be here for you no matter what.” Reiji and Adryn smiled at each other. They then looked away from each other, feeling a little awkward over everything. However, Reiji began to laugh, prompting Adryn to laugh as well and the two laughed for a few moments before calming down. 

“We shouldn't be awkward with each other now that everything is in the open,” Reiji commented as Adryn looked away from him and then back to him again. 

“So, um... Where does this leave us?” 

“We should probably start dating? Just dating, not a full-on relationship.”

“Alright, cool.” The two then smiled at each other again but were then interrupted by a knock at the door. So, Adryn walked over and opened it up, revealing a concerned-looking Eclipse, whose concern turned to shock once she saw Adryn.

“I've been looking for you. I didn't expect to find you here.” Eclipse spoke up as she began to calm down from her worries. 

“Sorry for not being in my room. Reiji and I needed to talk and we've got everything out in the open now.”

“I see, I see. Well, now that it's all good for you two, we need to deal with Nova. She's bitching that she's gonna leave the group now that she 'isn't needed by anyone'.” 

“Maybe it is best that she leaves the group.” 

“No, we are a group. We stick together and we'll figure this all out, together.” To Eclipse's resolve, Adryn sighed and turned to Reiji.

“I'll see you later.” With that, Adryn headed to her room, got ready for the day, and then headed to the kitchen with Eclipse. Once in the kitchen, Adryn gasped out at what she saw. There was Nova, handcuffed to a chair. “What the actual fuck? Why is she handcuffed to a chair?!”

“She was planning on just walking out of the mansion to blab about your health issues and everything else that's ever gone down in the mansion.” Shiori calmly explained, not that Adryn even noticed her until Shiori spoke up.

“Nova...” Adryn then pulled a chair to sit in front of Nova, but she refused to look at Adryn. “Look if you don't stop acting like a bitch, you're going to have to be committed because you're literally being insane.” To this, Nova spat in Adryn's direction, infuriating her. 

“Ah! Calm down!” Shiori made her Adryn remained in her seat and didn't get up to hurt Nova. 

“Nova, you aren't in your right mind anymore. You need help.” 

“I think it's time to call your dad,” Adryn commented as she turned to look at Eclipse. Eclipse seemed to agree, so she pulled out her phone and called Daichi. She explained everything to him and told him that Nova was becoming someone she shouldn't be becoming due to her mental issues. So, their father agreed to have Nova committed as soon as possible.

“No!” Nova sobbed from her chair as she heard everything that her father was telling Eclipse. “I'm so sorry! If you give me another chance, I won't do anything wrong again!” 

“No, Nova. There is no second chance for someone who constantly meddles in people's lives just to hurt them!” Adryn snapped at the sobbing woman. 

“I'm sorry though!” 

“You have no conscious and you're not in your right mind to be sorry.” 

“I'm going to hurt you, Adryn! Mentally and physically! Nothing is going to stop me from hurting you!”

“You already have. Everything with John hurt me worse than anything you could do to me.”

“You brought John upon you by breaking my heart!” Nova screamed at Adryn as she thrashed around in the chair. 

“Our relationship ended because of your father, not because of anything else.” 

“Do you still love me?” Nova paused in her thrashing and yelling to be completely calm as she asked. 

“No. I grew out of those feelings and now only see you as a little sister.” 

“This is all Reiji's fault! If he'd never been born I would still have you!” Nova resumed her screaming. 

“Without Reiji's help, I wouldn't have made it through my health issues.”

“It would have been better if you died anyway!” Nova's harsh comment made Adryn step away from her. 

“I'm done with this situation. I'm telling dad that he needs to take your ass away now before you actually hurt someone.” Eclipse grumbled to her sister as she called her father again. Eclipse explained things again, and Daichi agreed that Nova needed to be taken away now, rather than later. Daichi explains that he'll send her to America to get treatment, where hopefully no fans would see her. Besides, it'd be better to get Nova as far from Adryn as possible. As Eclipse hung up the phone, her father informed her he'd be sending someone right then to get Nova and take her away. 

When Eclipse told the group in the kitchen all Daichi had said, Nova began to scream. It was just incoherent screaming. Hearing all the screaming, the men of the house came hurrying into the kitchen, only to be shocked by Nova in handcuffs thrashing around in her chair. 

“What is going on?” Reiji asked the question that his group and himself were wondering. 

“Nova is going on a little trip. She's going to get some help.” Eclipse explained through Nova's screaming. Nova then stopped screaming and went back to crying. 

“Please, help me, Eclipse! You're my sister! You're supposed to be on my side!” Nova tried to plead with Eclipse, but she just ignored her. “I won't hurt anyone anymore! I'll be better!” Still no response from Eclipse. “What about my songs with Ranmaru?”

“We'll figure this out, but without you. You can't be in the mansion anymore.” 

“But... I won't do anything bad anymore...” Nova sobbed quietly to herself. Hearing and seeing Nova's breakdown, Adryn began to feel upset by it. She was no longer angry, she was hurting just as much as Nova. Seeing this, Reiji spoke up to Adryn. 

“You shouldn't be here hearing this. Let's go somewhere else. Alright, Adryn?” Reiji gently put a hand on Adryn's back and began to guide her from the room. She didn't put up a fight, she wanted out of there. However, Nova instantly stopped crying and began to scream again.

“This is all your fault, Reiji!” Nova yelled, but Reiji just ignored this and took Adryn away from the kitchen.

“Let's sit in the entrance hall. Daichi as someone coming to get Nova now.” Adryn mumbled to Reiji. He nodded his head and guided her to the bench that they usually sit on in the entrance hall. As soon as they sat down, Adryn broke down and began to cry. “This is all my fault... I have always seen the signs of Nova's declining mental health, but I never did anything about it. Nova was always fiercely possessive of me and hated whenever I spoke to any other girl, even Eclipse. When Nova and I broke up, Nova cried in her room for a week and planned to kill her father or kill herself.” 

“What?”

“When Nova got on anti-depressant pills, I thought she was better, but she must have stopped taking them some time or maybe they made her worse?”

“Adryn, this isn't your fault. Yes, someone should have gotten her help sooner, but it isn't anyone's fault.” 

“If I never went out with her in the first place, none of this would have happened.” Adryn then sighed as she cried. “If I only paid more attention to her, she'd be okay...” 

“Nothing is your fault, Adryn. You have your own life, your own problems. It's alright to focus on yourself while still caring for others, but they don't need to be the focus of your life.” Adryn looked over at Reiji sadly as tears still rolled down her cheeks. Reiji began to wipe away her tears as Adryn began to calm down a bit. 

“I'm sorry for crying in front of you.” 

“It's alright. I'm glad you're comfortable enough to do so, instead of crying alone.” Reiji's words helped calm Adryn down enough that she was able to stop crying. Adryn then smiled at Reiji and moved so she could lean on his shoulder. 

“I'm glad I've finally fallen for someone who is actually a decent human being.” 

“Oh? I'm only decent?” Reiji teased with a chuckle. 

“Yup, just decent.” Adryn teased back, causing them both to laugh. The two laughed until there was a buzz at the gate. Adryn then got up and went to the little screen that showed who was there. It was a van with two men in the front. “Were you sent by Daichi?” Adryn asked the men. 

“Yes.” One of the men responded simply. So, Adryn buzzed them in. The van drove up the driveway, parked in front of the door, and then got out, bringing a stretcher with them. They wheeled the stretcher into the mansion then. “Where is Nova?” 

“That way,” Adryn muttered as she pointed them down the hallway leading to the kitchen. Adryn went to go show them, but one of the men stopped her. 

“You might want to stay away.” Hearing this, Adryn froze. She then nodded her head and watched as the men walk down the hallway to where Eclipse was now standing to guide them the rest of the way. After they disappeared, Reiji and Adryn began to hear the loudest screaming they'd heard from Nova. Adryn began to cry again, but Reiji hurried to her and pulled her to his chest, telling her to not listen to the screams. 

Eventually, everything goes silent and the two men come back wheeling Nova on the stretcher with Eclipse behind them, crying. Adryn hurried to Eclipse and the two hugged as they watched the man take Nova into the van, and drive away. Reiji walked to Eclipse and Adryn and hugged them both, telling them that everything will be alright. After a little while of standing like that, the three broke apart. 

“I think I'm going to take a nap, everything is just... too much right now,” Eclipse muttered to Adryn, who instantly agreed. 

“Yeah, plus, I'm in pain now from all the crying,” Adryn admitted sadly as she winced in pain. 

“A nap sounds great right now...” Reiji mumbled as he yawned. 

“Wanna take a nap together?” Adryn asked, looking at Reiji. 

“How about we go to the 'napping room'?” Eclipse suggested with a small smile at Reiji's confused face. 

“'Napping room'?” Reiji asked simply.

“It's a room on the top floor that is literally only a bed. The whole room is full of bed.”

“That sounds amazing!” Reiji laughed as he imagined what the room would look like. 

“Let's go then.” With that, Adryn, Reiji, and Eclipse went to the napping room. Once there with the door open, Reiji laughed again. The whole room was really just a giant bed. Reiji wasn't sure how they got the bed in there, but he didn't care.

Eclipse ran from the hallway, into the room, and leaped onto the bed with a huge bounce. She laughed and watched as Adryn did the same thing, just a bit more gentle as to not hurt herself too much. Reiji just casually walked into the room and climbed onto the bed. Adryn was in the middle, Reiji was to her left and Eclipse was to her right. They all sprawled out comfortably and they didn't even come close to touching each other. So, the three of them set their phone alarms so they didn't sleep too long, but long enough that they'd wake up just in time for dinner. With that, the day that had taken a toll on them, caused them to drift off to sleep.


	17. Loneliness

Adryn wasn't sure when it was, but she knew she was up before her phone's alarm went off. She then opened her eyes only to see brown in her face. Adryn's eyes took a moment to adjust before she realized that the brown she was seeing, was Reiji's hair. Reiji had rolled over in his sleep and then rolled more until he found Adryn. 

Adryn went to move backward, towards Eclipse but was stopped when she realized Reiji had his arms around her. Adryn instantly blushed and stopped trying to move, in favor of shaking Reiji slightly. 

“...Don't go...” Reiji muttered just loud enough for Adryn to hear him. He then snuggled closer to her. This brought a smile to Adryn's face, despite her blushing. She then hesitantly wrapped her arms around Reiji to hold him as well. Adryn then drifted off to sleep, peacefully.

~

Eclipse heard her alarm clock before she fully understood what was going on. However, once her dream passed her by and she began to wake up, she only then realized what the annoying sound was. So, Eclipse sat up, only to hear Adryn's and Reiji's phones going off as well. She wondered why they weren't turning them off, so she turned to see them all snuggled up and holding each other. They were blissfully unaware of their phones going off. Instantly, Eclipse got up and turned off their alarms and just stared at them. Seeing Adryn and Reiji together made an overwhelming feeling of loneliness hit Eclipse, hard. 

So, hoping that Taemin had time to chat, Eclipse left the napping room and went into the hallway to call him. To Eclipse's surprise, Taemin picked up right away. 

“Hey, darling, what's up?” Taemin's voice chased all the loneliness away that Eclipse had been feeling. 

“I just wanted to update you on everything that's been going on,” Eclipse responded, not really wanting to tell him she was lonely without him as she didn't want to make him feel bad or anything. “Nova has been taken away to America to get mental help. She had a full-blown breakdown.”

“Oh, Eclipse I'm sorry.” 

“It'll be alright. Besides that, Adryn made it through surgery and radiation just fine. She and Reiji have gotten together... well for the most part.” Eclipse chuckled at that before continuing. “I miss you, my precious little honey bun. My little snookums.” Eclipse laughed at Taemin's embarrassed mumbling.

“S-Stop that, you're going to make me blush and I'm around people...” Taemin muttered to Eclipse, who just laughed in return. 

“I sure hope you're not overworking yourself.” 

“I'm not, don't worry.”

“Hey, I'm thinking about leaving PURGATORY and heading back to Korea.”

“You can't do that. You can't leave Adryn now nor can you leave your group.” Taemin's words were calm and clear. 

“It's just... hard to be without you.” 

“Yeah, I agree. I'll handle it though, don't worry.” Taemin then heard someone calling for him. “I got to go. I love you.”

“Love you too.” With that, Taemin hung up so Eclipse did as well. She couldn't help but wonder what he meant by he'll handle it. However, she figured it was finally time to wake up the sleeping pair. So, Eclipse walked into the room, flicked the lights on, and called out to them. “Wake up!” Hearing Eclipse's loud voice, Adryn and Reiji jolted, whacking their heads together. 

“Ow!” Adryn muttered softly and sleepily. 

“That hurt...” Reiji mumbled simply. They opened their eyes and this was when Reiji finally realized that they were holding each other. “How are we holding each other?” 

“You held onto me first, so I just held you back.” Adryn proudly stated, causing Reiji to laugh. 

“We should do this more often, I slept great!” 

“Same!” Adryn and Reiji laughed for a few until Eclipse left the room. 

“Let's go. We're probably late heading to the kitchen, so we need to hurry.” Eclipse commented as she left the room. Reiji and Adryn nodded their heads, untangled themselves from each other, and climbed off the bed and out of the room. The three made their way through the halls until they reached the kitchen. Ranmaru, Ai, Camus, and Shiori were all there, along with Serenity and Precious. Seeing their cubs, Eclipse and Adryn went to them.

“I'll cook tonight!” Reiji proudly declared. There were no objections, so Reiji got to work. Everyone else was at the table, other than Eclipse and Adryn who were on the floor with their cubs. 

“When is Taemin going to visit again?” Adryn asked her best friend, who just shrugged in response. 

“How long have you and him been together?” Shiori suddenly asked, making Eclipse think for a moment. 

“It's been about 2 years or so, but it seems like we've known each other our entire lives.” Eclipse informed the other woman.

“What does that mean?” 

“We've had past lives together. I knew of Taemin before we even met and felt a connection with him before officially meeting him in person.” 

“Oh...” Shiori didn't fully believe in all that stuff, but she didn't ask anything more. 

“You and Taemin should just get married and he should move into the mansion.” Adryn chuckled as she spoke. 

“He really does need to ask me to marry him. If he did that, it'd be great.” To Eclipse's words, Adryn nodded her head and made a mental note to text Taemin about his plans with Eclipse. 

“Are you sure you're not going too fast?” Ai asked, surprising Eclipse. 

“Nope. I'm sure of Taemin and my heart is correct about him. I know Taemin feels the same for me.” 

“It's sweet that you two are so sure of each other,” Reiji spoke up as he smiled at the pink-haired woman. 

“You'll be sure of yourself and your feelings one day as well.” 

“I'm already fairly certain of Adryn,” Reiji admitted, causing Adryn to look up and blush at him. 

“What do you mean?” Adryn had to ask but Reiji just smirked at her. 

“Are you going to get married and leave the group?” Ai asked Reiji who couldn't help but laugh as a response. 

“We're not even in a relationship yet, so we can't get married yet,” Adryn responded since Reiji was laughing. 

“Yet?” To Ranmaru's comment, Adryn blushed again, not meaning to have said “yet”.

“Yup, yet,” Reiji confirmed with a smile. Adryn then decided to get up from the floor and Serenity and head to Reiji after brushing herself off. 

“How can I help?” Adryn asked Reiji, who smiled at her in response. 

“You never offer to help to cook!” Shiori gasped out dramatically. 

“I'm honored you want to help,” Reiji responded, ignoring Shiori's comment. 

“Be careful, Adryn isn't one to cook. She might burn something or catch the house on fire.” Eclipse warned Reiji, who took her very seriously. 

“Alrighty then,” Reiji muttered mostly to himself. He then asked Adryn to do simple tasks and to help him out in certain ways. Most of the time though, Adryn stood by and watched Reiji. Eventually, the food was done, and everyone grabbed some food before heading back to the table. Eclipse sent Serenity and Precious out of the room so they could eat without the cubs trying to get any food. 

While everyone ate, everything was mostly silent. They all chose to enjoy the food rather than anything else. Once dinner was done, Eclipse and Ai offered to help clean up. Adryn finally remembered to let Reiji know that their bosses wanted them to write more songs, so the two headed to her music room to work on a new song. 

“So, what kind of song shall we do this time?” Adryn asked Reiji as they sat in front of the piano. 

“We can write a true love song now that we've figured out our feelings for each other?” Reiji suggested simply. 

“Right, but it should be about being in love, rather than the act of falling in love.” Adryn then thought of something. “I wonder if we need to tell our bosses that we're dating...”

“Hmm...” Reiji thought about it but shook his head. “It's our business. It doesn't need to be said until we're actually together.” 

“Alright, cool.” They then got down to work. Adryn began to mess around and play various different sounding melodies and different sounds, trying to find something that struck them and gave them motivation and inspiration. However, nothing really happened so they stop with the piano and went onto a different route. 

“Let's just throw out lyrics that speak to us that might be good in a song?” Reiji suggested, causing Adryn to nod her head. They both thought for a moment before Adryn spoke up. She wasn't looking at Reiji as she spoke. 

“Being with you is the easiest thing in the world. Loving you makes me feel like I can see the light again. I love when we just laugh together like nothing else matters. The whole world slips away when I look into your eyes.” Adryn then finished her thoughts and looked back to Reiji, who was smiling at her. This caused Adryn to instantly blush and look away from him quickly. Reiji then pulled her face back to look at him before putting their foreheads together. He then spoke his own lyrics to her as he looked into her eyes. 

“I never thought I could love again, but you showed me the way. You're so bright that I can't help but to be drawn in. you are the spark to my fire.” They were simple but caused Adryn to blush even worse than before. However, this time, instead of pulling away, she smiled at him softly. They could feel themselves getting closer, only for Adryn's phone to go off, effectively ruining the moment. Both Reiji and Adryn sighed before she pulled out her phone. 

“This looks like it's Taemin's number? I wonder why I don't have it saved.” Adryn muttered as she read who was calling her. She then answered it. 

“Hey, Adryn. It's me.” Taemin spoke up once Adryn answered the call.

“What's up? Anything wrong?” 

“No, the opposite actually. Can you get Eclipse to design the rings she'd want as an engagement ring and then one as a wedding ring?” 

“Of course! I'll text her right now.” 

“Thank you. Text me what you find out.” 

“No problem,” Adryn responded before she hung up. Adryn immediately texted Eclipse, asking for descriptions of the rings she'd want. Adryn claimed that it was for a story she was going to write. Eclipse took a few minutes but then responded in the form of 2 pictures. She explained that these were drawings of the pictures she'd done recently. They were the rings she'd always had dreamed of. 

The picture of the engagement ring drawing looked beautiful. The band would be stainless steel with the centerpiece as a natural purple sapphire (#290024) in the shape of a teardrop/pear. The point would be pointing towards the hand. The stones directly next to the main stone would be lighter teardrop/pear purple sapphires (#3F0D5D). These stones were followed by a smaller, even lighter purple sapphire (#B259E7) in the shape of a circle this time. This was finally followed by a clear/white diamond. All of it would be natural and not lab-grown. 

The picture of the wedding ring drawing also looked just as beautiful. The band would also be stainless steel. It would fit against the round part of the main teardrop of the engagement ring. It would have three purple sapphires (#3F0D5D) pointing outward with two even lighter purple sapphires (#B259E7) between the teardrops/pears with two clear/white diamonds after the outer two teardrops/pears. 

Adryn instantly texted the picture of the drawing of the rings to Taemin. Taemin responded that he had an idea to add part of himself into the ring. He would put under the main stone, a red ruby (#1F0001) in the same shape as the main stone. Adryn then told Taemin that she is so excited to see the rings once they are finished and that she was sure that Eclipse would be thrilled to have Taemin propose to her. 

Taemin thanked Adryn for her help and told her that he was super excited and nervous about this. Hearing this from Taemin caused Adryn to laugh out loud before telling Taemin that he and Eclipse were meant for each other so there was no reason to be nervous. 

Meanwhile, Reiji was trying to not read over Adryn's shoulder, but he was a little curious to see why she was laughing. Seeing this, Adryn moved so Reiji could read the conversation along with her. Once Reiji pieced together that Taemin was going to propose to Eclipse, Reiji got all happy for them. 

Adryn then asked Taemin what his plans were after they get engaged, only for him to tell her that he's going to try to stay in Japan, but everything is in the works so he didn't want to talk about it. So with that, Taemin and Adryn said their goodbyes to each other. 

Adryn then turned to Reiji with a smile on her face. 

“This is amazing!” Adryn half-whispered but half yelled. She didn't want anyone outside of the room to hear anything. 

“I hope everything will go great for them,” Reiji whispered to Adryn, who nodded her head in agreement. 

With that, the two went back to work, only for them to not actually work but instead, they ended up laughing about everything and nothing. This was until there was a knock at the door. Adryn looked to Reiji who looked to her. Adryn then got up and opened the door, to reveal Ai standing there. 

“Ai-Ai?” Reiji asked from his place at the piano still. “Is everything alright?” Reiji stood up, but Ai walked past him and to the bench, he then sat down facing Adryn and Reiji. 

“What does it mean to love someone? I am curious about the feelings of mutual love.”

“Why didn't you ask Eclipse?” Adryn asked, not against talking about it, but just curious. 

“Ranmaru told me that it would upset Eclipse if I asked her, due to Taemin being away,” Ai explained simply. Reiji and Adryn looked at each other. 

“Well, mutual love is a great feeling. It's a feeling of happiness, calmness but also turmoil.” Adryn explained to the confused Ai.

“What's the point of love then?”

“When you love someone, everything becomes brighter, things make more sense, even though there is a sense of worry because you don't want to lose that person for any reason.” Reiji decided to explain next. 

“I always hated love and tried to run from it for a little while after many failed relationships, but with Reiji, it's all different,” Adryn told Ai, who just looked down to the floor. “Why are you wondering about love anyway?”

“I've never completely understood love and was just curious about it.” With those words from Ai, he got up and left the room. He paused in the hallway though to turn back to them to speak again. “I hope to study your relationship in depth at a later date.” With that, Ai was gone. Hearing his last statement worried Adryn and Reiji, but they didn't do anything about it. They just looked at each other and shrugged. 

“I wonder what people do now that they're dating. I only went right into relationships and never took the time to properly get to know someone first.” 

“Well, do you want to go on a date somewhere? That's normally what people do when they're dating.” 

“No, I mean I want to, but I don't want to see people yet and I don't want them to see me.” Adryn then thought about it. “Maybe just a drive anywhere?” 

“Alright. Let's also pack a little picnic to go someone secluded to have a private little date?”

“Alright. So... tomorrow then?” 

“Yeah.” Reiji smiled at Adryn and this caused her to smile back. 

“Is it alright if I head to my room? I want to write a bit so I wasn't too much of a liar to Eclipse about writing a story about rings.” 

“Alright, see you later then.” With that, Reiji and Adryn went their separate ways in the mansion. Adryn went to her room while Reiji headed to find Ranmaru. He wanted to check on him to see how he was holding up now that his partner had been taken away. Reiji finally found Ranmaru in a living room. He'd clearly just finished up the song he and Nova were writing. “Hey, Ran-Ran! How are you doing?”

“What do you want?” Ranmaru responded seemingly annoyed at Reiji. 

“How about you join Adryn and me in writing songs? Since you're all alone and lonely.” 

“I'm not lonely! I don't need anyone to help me with my songs.”

“The whole point of this was to work together and strengthen bonds. Not to mention make the girls more popular. So you really should choose a group to work with.” Reiji got serious, causing Ranmaru to pause before responding.

“Fine, but I won't join you and Adryn. I don't need to get in the middle of some lovey-dovey bullshit.” 

“I wonder if you're happy for me or not.” Reiji half-jokingly stated mostly to himself though. 

“Women have caused multiple problems for my group mates before. I am happy for you, but if you let Adryn affect your work, we'll have to put an end to it.”

“There's no chance that I'll let anything get in the way of QUARTET NIGHT and our bond.” 

“How does Adryn feel about that?” Ranmaru's question caused Reiji to pause. 

“Adryn isn't one to come between a group like that.” 

“Hmm...” Ranmaru seemed to not believe that, but instead of actually responding, he waved Reiji away. To prove his point, Reiji hurried off to Adryn's room and knocked on her door. After a moment, Adryn opened her door and looked confused. 

“What's up?” Adryn asked Reiji simply. Reiji then voiced Ranmaru's concerns, prompting Adryn to burst out into laughter. “I'd never get into your business life. I wouldn't interfere in your work like that, as long as you do the same for me.” Reiji just smiled at Adryn before he hugged her. This surprised Adryn, but she didn't fight it. 

“You're a great person. I can't believe you're so understanding.” Reiji told the woman he was hugging. Adryn laughed before responding. 

“Once upon a time, I did have issues with certain things, but I've grown and gotten over things like that.” Adryn then pulled away from him, before Reiji could respond or anything. Adryn then patted Reiji's head and spoke up. “I want to write a little more before bed. You should go hang out with someone, or something.” With that, Adryn smirked at Reiji and closed the door in his face. 

Now alone in the hallway, Reiji smiled to himself and headed to his room instead of going to go hang out with someone. He decided to just get ready for bed and climb into his bed. He then pulled out his notebook and began to write some lyrics for the new song he was writing with Adryn. After quite a few minutes of writing what would hopefully give them inspiration, Reiji was satisfied. He decided to just turn out his light and go to sleep. 

Meanwhile, Adryn had also just gotten finished with some story she wanted to write a bit. She then got ready for bed and got into her bed. She then drifted off to sleep, thinking about how she and Reiji would be going on a date the following day.


	18. The Date

Adryn woke up suddenly. It wasn't to her phone alarm though, but to something else that she wasn't sure of at that moment. It was still dark out, so she was confused. So, Adryn put her glasses on and climbed out of bed. She checked her phone which was on her desk and realized that there was a text from Taemin. The message had just come in, making Adryn realize that the message was what woke her up.

Taemin's message was letting Adryn know that he found someone to make the rings. They could make them in a month, or less and they would be amazing. However happy Adryn was, she was confused as to why Taemin was still awake so late, as Adryn was able to see now that it was 4 am. Adryn wanted to ask about it but chose not to. Instead, she told Taemin that she was excited for them and that she wished him good luck figuring out how to propose to Eclipse. 

After waiting a few minutes for Taemin to respond, he never did, so Adryn just went back to bed. Adryn fell back to sleep immediately. 

This time, Adryn woke up to the sound of her phone's alarm. She wasn't as awake as she was before, so she groggily climbed out of bed and turned off the alarm. She then got ready for the day and went to walk out of her room, only to walk right into Eclipse. 

“Huh? What are you doing awake? Aren't you usually still asleep now?” Adryn asked a little surprised at her best friend. 

“Reiji asked me to make sure you wore something cute, because as he said he is also wearing something cute. His words, not mine.” Eclipse responded, seemingly a little tired. 

“Everything Reiji wears is cute.” Adryn laughed in return, however, Eclipse just chuckled and pushed Adryn back into her room and to her closet. Eclipse then made Adryn stand to the side as she went through her clothes to find something that Reiji would find cute. Eventually, Eclipse chose a knee-high teal dress with simple black heels that weren't very high and then picked out some other jewelry for Adryn to wear. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yup.” With that, Eclipse threw the dress and shoes at Adryn and shoved her into the bathroom to change. “Also, put on some makeup. Be cute.” Adryn laughed but went along with it anyway. After a little while, Adryn left the bathroom all ready for the day, again. She put on the jewelry she was told to and then was guided out of the room. She walked right into Reiji's waiting arms. 

“Hey there.” Reiji laughed as he held Adryn. “If you wanted to get close to me, all you had to do was ask.” 

“Shut up!” Adryn blushed as she pulled away from him. This gave Reiji time to look at Adryn to see how she looked finally. 

“You're as beautiful as I knew you'd be.”

“Was I not beautiful before?” 

“You could be wearing anything at all and you'd still be beautiful.”

“Thank you, Reiji. You don't look too bad yourself.” 

“I heard you say how I look cute in anything, is that right?” 

“If you're going to flirt, you can do it in the car.” Eclipse grumbled from behind Adryn still in her room. 

“Whoops, sorry,” Adryn muttered as she turned to look at Eclipse. 

“It's fine. Just go.” Eclipse gave Adryn a smile and walked into her room. 

“Ready, my girl?” Reiji asked, causing Adryn to blush. 

“What about the food?” Adryn asked simply. 

“It's all taken care of.” With that, Reiji took a hold of Adryn's hand and began to lead her through the hallways to the entrance hall. Once there, they headed to his car and climbed in. As they got in the car, Adryn saw the picnic basket in Reiji's backseat. 

“Where did that come from?” 

“The basement.” Reiji laughed before becoming serious. “By the way, why is there a dungeon in the basement?” 

“You weren't supposed to see that,” Adryn stated in a serious voice. She said nothing more about it, causing Reiji's mind to wander. 

“I promise I won't do anything that'll earn me a spot in the dungeon.” Reiji was so serious that Adryn couldn't help but laugh loudly. 

“Don't worry, the only one who has been down there was me when I had a breakdown and locked myself in there for everyone else's safety,” Adryn responded before looking out her window. “Whenever I can, I'll be getting back on my pills. I'll feel a whole lot better then.” 

“You seem pretty calm right now though.” 

“There is still a darkness in me that I'm not ready to show you yet, to be honest.” Reiji then frowned at Adryn's words. Adryn just turned to him with a smile. “I'll tell you everything one day.” 

“Alright.” Reiji nodded his head in agreement. Then, to Adryn's surprise, Reiji reached over with one hand and grabbed one of her hands, and held it. Adryn blushed and held his hand back while they rested on her lap. “I'm already enjoying our date.” 

“Same.”

“Are you alright with a long drive?” 

“Yeah.”

“Good,” Reiji spoke with a smile on his face. 

During the long drive, Reiji and Adryn decided to discuss their song. Reiji let go of Adryn's hand suddenly to reach behind him to grab his notebook and then hand it to Adryn. She went to the page he told her to go to and went through the lyrics he'd written. She was told to add some if she wanted to, so Reiji pulled a pen from somewhere in his car. Adryn did indeed write some more lyrics down every now and then. 

“Why are we writing the lyrics before the music?” Adryn asked with a chuckle. Reiji chuckled back before responding. 

“We're going to do things backward this time.” 

“Alright.” Adryn laughed simply. The topic then changed to Taemin and Eclipse. “Taemin told me last night that the rings will most likely be ready in a month.”

“I wonder... Would you ever want to get married one day? Maybe not to me, but to someone.” Adryn didn't respond right away. She just looked to Reiji with a conflicted face. 

“I... I honestly don't know. I've been hurt so many times. I just figured that everyone would leave me one day, so marriage would never happen to me with how things were going.” To Adryn's words, Reiji reached over and squeezed her hand. 

“I'll change your mind and how you think about relationships. If you decide you don't want marriage after that, I'll respect it.” 

“You really are a good gut. I'm glad I've entrusted my heart to you.” Adryn smiled at Reiji, prompting him to smile back before looking back to the road. 

After a little while of driving in silence, Adryn began to drift off to sleep. She tried really hard to keep her eyes open, but they ended up closing just long enough for Reiji to notice. 

“Adryn, stay awake. We're almost there. Maybe we can take a nap there.” Reiji muttered as he squeezed her hand again. This woke Adryn up but she didn't pick her head up from the headrest. She just looked out the window and began to laugh to herself. “Why are you laughing?” 

“There's a cloud that looks like a cute bunny.” 

“Is it cuter than me?” Reiji pouted as she asked, causing Adryn to laugh. 

“Yup.” Hearing this, Reiji pouted more. Adryn then laughed and leaned towards him. “No one is more cute than you, especially when you're pouting.” 

“So mean!” Reiji faked cried causing Adryn to chuckle. She then patted his cheek as she spoke. 

“You're too cute to cry.” 

“If I'm too cute to cry, you better make sure I don't cry then.”

“I can do that.” Adryn leaned closer to Reiji and kissed him right on his cheek. She then smirked at him. “If you don't cry, I'll kiss you more.”

“I'll be a good boy then and not cry. As long as I get more kisses.” Reiji muttered to Adryn who laughed at the comment. 

“You have a lifetime of kisses coming in your future as long as you give me some too.” 

“If I wasn't such a responsible driver, I'd kiss you right now. But I have to drive and you know, not kill us by crashing.” Reiji's words made Adryn laugh again. 

“There's plenty of time to kiss once we get to our picnic spot.” 

“Right, and we're almost there.” Soon, Reiji pulled off the road and into a vacant parking lot to park. “I heard about this park through Ai-Ai. He told me that this park isn't one many people know about. It's pretty much just walking trails through the forest with a few clearings in the trees.” 

“Are there going to be others here?” 

“Our picnic spot is private anyway, so it's alright no matter what.” With that, Reiji officially parked the car and the two got out. Reiji grabbed the picnic basket and the two began to walk down the rocky path. Reiji led Adryn along, but Adryn kept tripping over rocks every now and then. 

“Dammit! These stupid shoes suck!” Adryn grumbled as she tripped again. 

“Here.” Reiji held out his free hand to the woman. “I'll make sure you don't fall.” Adryn then grabbed Reiji's hand with a smile on her face. 

“If I do fall, you're coming with me.”

“Okay.” Reiji laughed and then continued to walk along the path. It was about a five-minute walk to the little clearing in the woods that Reiji wanted to go to. Once they got there, Adryn gasped out at the beauty of the clearing. There were flowers all around in the clearing. Reiji and Adryn walked into the middle of the clearing. Reiji then released Adryn's hand to lay out the blanket from the basket he had. He made sure there weren't too many bugs underneath the blanket as he laid it down. The two then sat down and Reiji began to bring out some food. The food consisted of little sandwiches and some little bottles of water. 

“Thank you for the picnic we're going to enjoy. This is making me really happy.” Adryn told Reiji who smiled at her in return. 

“I'd do a lot to make you happy.” With that, Reiji and Adryn began to eat their food and drink their water. They just enjoyed the sounds of the forest as they ate. Once they were done, they cleaned up and laid down on the blanket together. Adryn was leaning against Reiji and he had his arm around her, holding her close. 

“This feels like a dream and like it'll all disappear and never return.” Reiji didn't like the sound of that, so with his free hand, he reached over and moved Adryn's face to look at him. She looked at him curiously as he didn't speak to anything. He then surprised her by leaning towards her and pressing his lips to hers. After the shock wore off, Adryn relaxed into the kiss. They shared their first kiss in which they could feel their feelings for each other. When they parted, Reiji spoke finally in a low voice. 

“Did that feel like a dream? Like it'll disappear and never return?” To Reiji's questions, Adryn smirked playfully. 

“I'm not sure. Maybe you should go it again just to fully make me understand your point.” 

“Oh really?” Reiji chuckled as he leaned forward and kissed her once again. This one felt just as amazing as the first one. When they parted, Adryn smiled at him.

“I am a little bit more sure of you and our situation.” 

“If you ever forget, or if your darkness tries to tell you something different, I'll kiss you and make you remember and understand.” 

“That, um, sounds like a good plan,” Adryn responded, finally feeling the embarrassment from everything. 

“You're so cute.” Reiji chuckled as Adryn blushed. 

“Shut up,” Adryn muttered, but Reiji just ignored her and kissed the side of her face. 

“You know you don't want me to really shut up. I know you love my voice because I know you're a fan of mine and have been for a while.” Hearing Reiji whisper right into her ear caused Adryn to blush deeper. 

“I'm going to pass out if you don't stop, Reiji,” Adryn spoke as she covered her face. Reiji just pulled her hands from her face and smiled at her. 

“You shouldn't cover your adorable face.” 

“I”m not cute or adorable.” Adryn pouted as she looked away from him.

“You're right. You're beautiful, amazing, wonderful, and attractive in many ways, but most of all, you're perfect in my eyes.” Hearing this, Adryn nervously laughed. 

“Where is all this coming from? You haven't been like this before.” 

“Something in me finally clicked. I don't want to hide this from you or anything.” 

“It isn't fair. I wanted to be the more confident and dominant one in this.” To that, Reiji laughed out loud. 

“We can take turns.” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn's whole face and ears went red. 

“Y-You shouldn't say something like that so calmly.” 

“I'm not shy about things like this, especially when it comes to someone I deeply care for.” 

“You're bringing out my shy side though.” 

“That's fine, it's very attractive to me.” Reiji's words cause Adryn to nervously chuckle again. 

“You're being intense and kinda hot right now.” Adryn had to admit, causing Reiji to laugh this time. 

“Thank you.” Reiji then pulled Adryn to him closer to kiss her again. This kiss though was different. It lasted longer and the longer it lasted the more intense it got. Once they pulled apart, they were both all hot and bothered, but they knew better than to act on it. So, Reiji chuckled and suggested something. “I think we should go for a walk.” 

“That's a good idea.” Once Adryn agreed, the two got everything back into the basket and they walked back to the car. Reiji carried the basket while also holding Adryn's hand. During the walk, Adryn's feet began to hurt, along with her head. So they hurried to the car. Once there, Adryn got into her seat and took her shoes off while Reiji put the basket away. 

“Do you want to go home the fast way, or the long way?” 

“Either way I'll be falling asleep.” Adryn's honesty caused Reiji to laugh. 

“I'll hurry home so we can take a nap.” 

Right as Adryn was about to drift off to sleep, her phone went off. It was a text from Eclipse asking how their date was going. So, Adryn explained that they were heading back home due to her being tired. Eclipse had to ask, were they tired due to them doing bad things. Adryn laughed causing Reiji to look at her, but he didn't ask what she laughed at. Adryn told Eclipse that she and Reiji kissed but nothing too crazy happened as they were in a park. Adryn then tells Eclipse that they'll be sleeping in the napping room once they got back. Eclipse wished them luck, telling Adryn that Ai and herself were going to the store for groceries. Adryn wished her best friend luck and then put her phone away. 

“What was so funny?” Reiji finally asked the now blushing Adryn. 

“Eclipse asked if we did bad things or not,” Adryn responded, causing Reiji to laugh. 

“It's way too soon for that, but it was hard to keep my hands to myself in the clearing.” 

“I agree,” Adryn responded with a chuckle. 

“Hey, Adryn? Would you be alright with that type of stuff after everything you've gone through with your ex?”

“Hmm...” Adryn thought about it for a moment before responding. “If it was with you, I think I'd be alright. I know I can trust myself and my body with you.” Saying this, Adryn blushed deeply. 

“Thank you.” Reiji sneaked a peek at Adryn, who was blushing harder now, as he turned to look out the window. “I have to admit, it's been a long time since I'd done anything like that with anyone. Being an idol had taken over my life for the most part. It'd been many years since I was a teenager when I last had any type of that stuff go on. It never was really something I needed so I never searched out for a woman to do anything with.” 

“I never really have gone after anyone either, they just usually came to me and I'd just go along with it. Mostly because I didn't care about myself until recently. It wasn't like I was a whore or anything not that there's anything wrong with it. I just only did things with people that I was dating and trusted even though it never went well for me.” Adryn then frowned to herself. “I'm sorry for bringing up dark stuff on our date.” Reiji took Adryn's hand in his before speaking to her. 

“No matter what time or what is going on I want to know your darkness. I want to be there for you.” Hearing Reiji's words, Adryn teared up a little bit and looked out her window, trying to pretend she was fine. “No matter what, I love you and I plan to be here for you for a long time.” Reiji then thought about something. “Maybe we should just get into an exclusive relationship. We are getting a lot closer anyway.” 

“I'd like to be your girlfriend, but if you aren't ready for it, that's alright.” 

“I'd love to be your boyfriend, Adryn. I'm sure of how I feel for you and I'm sure of you.” Adryn smiled and looked to Reiji. 

“I'm glad that I love you and I wouldn't want my heart in the hands of anyone else.” 

“I feel the same and I'm thankful for this chance to make you happy and to be with you.” 

With that, the rest of the ride was in peaceful silence. They just enjoyed each other's presence. Once they got home, Ranmaru greeted them at the door. He had just happened to be passing by as they walked in through the door. 

“We're going to be taking a nap in the napping room,” Reiji informed the silver-haired man.

“'Napping room'?” Ranmaru questioned, only for Adryn to tell him all about it. Reiji and Adryn could see the sparkle in his eyes after hearing about it. “I'll have to go there at some point.” 

“Wanna nap with us, Ran-Ran?” Reiji teased, just for Ranmaru to walk away, annoyed with the man. Reiji chuckled and led Adryn up to the room. They instantly climbed into the large bed, laying down right in the middle of the bed. They then held onto each other and snuggled up together. 

“Sweet dreams, Reiji,” Adryn muttered sleepily. 

“I'll always have sweet dreams as long as you're by my side,” Reiji responded simply as he kissed the top of Adryn's head. The two then drifted off to sleep, a peaceful sleep.


	19. Engagement

A month then goes by, seemingly too quickly. Reiji and Adryn had occasionally gone out for dates, still trying to avoid others though, as Adryn still wasn't confident enough in herself to be seen by too many people yet. They also spent a good amount of time working on their songs. Everyone was finally getting along good enough to have everyone in the theater room to hang out together, so Reiji was thrilled about that. Reiji was also thrilled that he and Adryn were getting closer and closer. It seemed like she was opening up more to him. Though, they haven't crossed any lines quite yet, meaning they hadn't gone into anything sexual yet. They wanted to focus on their love and connection and getting it strong because Adryn was still slightly hesitant sometimes due to her past. Also, Adryn got back on her medications recently. 

During this month, Eclipse began to feel lonelier and lonelier, but unbeknownst to her, the ring she designed was finished. It looked nearly exactly like she'd drawn it, with the addition of Taemin's. Taemin also made plans to come and visit Eclipse at some point but never told her when he was going to. Other than that though, Eclipse and Ai worked on their songs together and got a lot done. Eclipse also finally heard from her father about Nova. She was beginning to accept treatment finally. 

Soon after Ranmaru's talk with Reiji, the silver-haired man decided to join Eclipse and Ai's group to write songs. It was due to Eclipse knowing her sister's writing and music style, so they could pretend that it was her writing those songs with Ranmaru. 

Camus and Shiori finally finished their first song and moved onto writing more songs. They were beginning to get along a bit better but still argued with each other every so often. 

This has all lead to where they were on this day, a month after Adryn and Reiji became official. Eclipse woke up a little late that day. She instantly checked her phone to see if she had any new messages, and she did. It was from Adryn about the lunch outing that was planned for that day. Apparently, she was running late for it as they were all getting ready at that moment in time, so she needed to hurry up. Eclipse got ready for the day and went down to the entrance hall. 

“I'm glad you woke up on time. I was about to come to wake your ass up.” Adryn laughed as she saw her best friend approaching everyone who'd been waiting. 

“I only woke up on time by accident. I got good sleep last night.” Eclipse explained simply. 

“Is everyone ready?” Reiji asked as he walked back into the mansion from outside. He'd been doing something with his car. 

“Yup. Let's go.” Adryn responded to her lover. With that, they all got into two different cars. Shiori and Eclipse with Adryn as the driver got into her car. While Reiji drove his group in his car. They planned to go to a fancy lunch place where they could get a private room away from most everyone else, so that's where they all went. Once there, they went into the area that they'd reserved the day before. 

A waiter came and asked them what they wanted, and they all ordered, having already checked the menu on their phones before they'd even arrived. The waiter then came back in a few minutes later to set down their drinks but adds something. He sets down a little plate with one thing on it in front of Eclipse. It was a purple velvet box, confusing the woman.

“What is this?” Eclipse asked, looking around for a moment before her eyes landed on the equally confused looking Adryn. She wasn't confused though, she knew ahead of time what was about to happen. 

“Open it.” A voice came from behind Eclipse, causing her to spin around in her seat. She knew that voice extremely well, as it was her lover, Taemin's voice. 

“What is going on?” But Taemin only smiled in return, prompting Eclipse to look to the little box in front of her. Hesitantly, Eclipse opened the box, and once it registered what she was looking at, she began to cry. It was the engagement ring she'd designed. Eclipse could hear Taemin approach her from behind and then he leaned down to her and asked her the question she'd been wanting to hear from him for a while now. 

“Will you marry me, my dearest Eclipse?” 

“Of course! Yes!” Eclipse's voice broke as she began to cry. Taemin reached to the box and took out the ring, then slipped it onto her ring finger on her left hand. 

“I love you. I'm glad you said yes.” Taemin chuckled as he watched Eclipse stand up and literally throw herself at him. The two held each other as Eclipse cried due to the excitement. Meanwhile, Adryn was shaking and trying hard to not cry herself. She was just so happy and excited for Eclipse. So Reiji reached to her and rubbed her back to soothe and comfort her. Eclipse then turned to look at Adryn, still crying slightly. 

“So, when you asked me about the rings, it wasn't for a story then?” 

“Nope,” Adryn responded with a smile on her face. 

“You brat. Don't do things behind my back!” Eclipse laughed through her tears. 

“I was just doing as Taemin asked me to!” Adryn responded as she chuckled through her tears that were now falling. 

“Thank you.” With that, Eclipse turned back to Taemin. “I love you, so much.” The two then kissed happily before parting for Taemin to go grab a chair for himself. Taemin sits down at the table, but Eclipse and Adryn excuse themselves to go get all the tears on their faces cleaned up. “I can't believe everything had happened this way. But I wouldn't have it any other way.” 

“I'm glad about how things have gone. You both deserve to be happy after everything you've gone through.”

“Now you and Reiji need to get engaged.” 

“It'll be a long time until then. We need more time to just get to know each other. Besides, we aren't in any rush, we're happy with where we are right now.”

“As long as you're happy, then that's great.” The two women then go back to cleaning their faces. Once they finish up, they arrived back at their table just in time for their food to arrive. 

“What will you do about your career now that you're going to be getting married?” Ai's sudden question surprised Taemin, but he just smiled in response. 

“Well, I'll be moving into the mansion. I have a job here in Japan now.” Taemin explained to Ai, and everyone else. This confused Eclipse though, as she hadn't heard anything about this.

“What do you mean?” Eclipse asked Taemin as he smiled back at her. 

“There's going to be a new TV show that they want me to be the star of. So I'll be allowed to stay here in Japan while we're filming. Of course, I'll have to go back to Korea every now and then, but I can live with you, finally. I know I need to be with you, no matter what.” Hearing Taemin's heartfelt words for Eclipse, Adryn couldn't help but sneak a peek at Reiji and wonder if he'd do anything like that for her. Adryn stopped that thought in its tracks though. She knew they were both based in Japan, so she'd never had to worry about that. Adryn then wondered what was going to happen after their project together ended. Noticing the shift in Adryn's mood, Reiji reached over and held one of her hands in his. Adryn then looked to Reiji and smiled at him. The man could see the darkness behind the smile but chose to not ask about it in front of everyone. 

Everyone then proceeded to eat their food, and once everyone was done, they headed home. Taemin took Eclipse home leaving Shiori and Adryn together in her car. 

“So, why did you get all dark during lunch?” Shiori suddenly asked Adryn as they got into Adryn's car. 

“No reason, it's alright,” Adryn responded simply, but Shiori didn't believe it. 

“Are your medications not working or something?” 

“I just had a passing thought that I don't really want to talk about.” 

“Does it have anything to do with our group project coming to an end with the guys?” 

“Everything will be alright. No matter what.” 

“Keep telling yourself that, maybe things will go your way, but maybe not.” With those words, Shiori looked out her window and ignored the worried look that crossed Adryn's face. She couldn't help but wonder if her medications really were working or not now though. She felt a little off, which she didn't usually when she was on her medications. 

Either way, the rest of the drive home was in silence, and once they got home, Shiori hopped out of the car for Adryn to park in the garage. After parking her car, Adryn went out the side door, only to be intercepted by Reiji. The man then pulled her back into the garage, which confused Adryn. 

“What's going on?” Adryn asked Reiji, but he ignored her question and asked her a question of his own. 

“What's going on with you? I noticed your moment of darkness during lunch.” Reiji responded as he looked into Adryn's eyes. Adryn debated what she wanted to say for a moment before responding. 

“I had a moment of doubt that's all okay now. It doesn't bother me now.” 

“Moment of doubt? About what?” 

“I was wondering how our relationship would go after our groups' collaboration was over.” Hearing this shocked Reiji, but Adryn continued before he could say anything. “I'm not worried about it anymore.” Adryn went to move past Reiji, but he stepped in front of her. He was worried about how she blew off her own worries. So, Reiji grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. 

“It's alright to feel worried about our relationship. It's alright to be concerned about how it will go. You don't need to hide your worries from me.” Reiji's words caused Adryn's eyes to fill with tears, but she instantly blinked them way in favor of smiling at the man in front of her. 

“I'm alright now. I'm not worried about it. We'll figure it out, no matter what.” Adryn just wanted to keep saying that. She hoped if she said it enough, it'll be true. This made Reiji feel a little frustrated with Adryn. She was being dismissive of her own self, but Reiji chose to not say anything about it. He didn't want to upset Adryn. So, he just let his hands fall from her before pulling her to him to hold her. 

“You're right about one thing. We'll figure it out and be together no matter what. Nothing is going to tear us apart, even if we are physically distant from each other.” Reiji whispered to Adryn, making the woman smile and wrap her arms around him in return. The two just hold each other for a few minutes, before Eclipse peaked her head into the garage and spoke up. 

“What the hell are you two doing in the dark?” Eclipse asked, a little worried for them. Neither Adryn nor Reiji turned the lights on in the garage, so the only light was coming from the open door behind Reiji. So, the two of them pulled apart and turned to look at the concerned Eclipse, and laughed. 

“Ready to head back inside?” Reiji asked Adryn to which she nodded her head in return. So, the three of them headed inside the mansion where Reiji decided to help Taemin with his bags because he had a lot of them this time. Eclipse and Adryn just followed behind their lovers as they walked to Taemin's room. 

“We should throw a little part to celebrate your engagement, right?” Adryn asked her best friend next to her. Eclipse nodded her head before pausing. She took off her new ring and looked at it in the light of the window, but then paused. She instantly spotted the hidden gem underneath the main gem and she understood it immediately. She knew that the ruby was to represent Taemin, so she'd always have a piece of him with her. This caused Eclipse to gasp out and nearly topple over as tears filled her eyes. Hearing Eclipse's reaction, Taemin set his bags down and hurried to Eclipse. 

“What's wrong?” Taemin questioned, worried for his lover. Eclipse just put her ring back on and hugged Taemin. 

“Thank you,” Eclipse muttered simply. Taemin looked to Adryn to explain everything. 

“She just noticed your little surprise on the ring,” Adryn explained, causing Taemin to nod his head with a chuckle. He held Eclipse then until she was ready to part. When she was ready, they parted and the four of them headed to Taemin's room. After setting down his bags, Reiji spoke up.

“I'm going to get a drink from the kitchen, come with me?” Reiji's question was of course directed at Adryn. She nodded her head and then the two of them headed to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, they grabbed some water and sat down at the counter. 

“You know, about our songs...” Adryn began to speak, as she looked out the kitchen window. 

“Hmm?” 

“I think I'm getting tired of this sappy bullshit. All these upbeat songs are really getting on my nerves. It isn't how anyone always feels.” 

“Maybe we should write a dark song after the one we're currently writing then.”

“That'd be cool.” 

“Do you want a dark song to be the last song you write together?” Ranmaru asked from the table where he'd been the entire time. Hearing him, both Reiji and Adryn froze and turned to him in confusion. “Just got an email stating that our time here is coming to an end. It's finally time to finish up the songs and record them, then leave this mansion.” Hearing about the email caused both Reiji and Adryn to pull out their phones. Sure enough, there was an email telling them about it. Both Reiji and Adryn's were a little different as it told them that they'd continue to occasionally write together, among other things once their relationship came out in the open. After reading the email, Adryn felt sick. Her heart stopped beating and she became extremely nauseous. 

“I, um... I need to go do something.” Adryn declared, confusing Reiji. 

“Want me to come along?” Reiji's words didn't reach Adryn though, she was already out of the kitchen. She made her way down the hallway and turned into another hallway. She then took off running. She wasn't sure if she was running away from the information that Reiji was leaving soon, or if she was running so Reiji didn't see her get upset over it. Either way, she kept running. 

Adryn ran, instead of to her room, out the side door to the mansion and into the yard there. The “yard” was a couple of acres with a lot of trees. Back at the back door, there was a clearing where the cubs would occasionally run around, but the side yard was different. It was all trees. There was an overgrown path leading through the trees, and that's what Adryn went onto. There was a little gazebo at the end of the path, but along the way, Adryn tripped over roots and rocks. She nearly fell a few times but managed to catch herself. 

The gazebo was once used for witchy activities, but they hadn't had the time nor the want to do anything witchy with QUARTET NIGHT around, as they didn't want to freak them out or have them interfere. This is where Adryn ended up; the black gazebo. It was hard to see through the darkness of the trees, but she made it there and ran up the stairs. She then collapsed onto the bench that was wrapped around the inside of the gazebo. 

The moment Adryn touched the cold bench, she broke down. She began to cry and cry to the point where her tears blurred her vision and took her breath away. She was sobbing in the forest on her property, surrounded by trees, birds, and who knows what else. 

Meanwhile, Reiji had heard Adryn running and had tried to follow her, but when he realized she left the mansion, Reiji made his way to Eclipse. He knocked on Taemin's sorry, hoping Eclipse was still in there, and she was actually the one who opened the door. She instantly saw Reiji's distressed face. 

“Did Adryn run off or something? I just read the email about your guys leaving soon.” Eclipse spoke to Reiji. He nodded his head before responding. 

“Adryn read the email and got instantly upset. She tried to act like she was alright, but she ran out the side door of the mansion.” Reiji explained simply with worry. 

“I'll handle it. You'd get lost in the forest if you went.” 

“I want to help.”

“Adryn might be having a breakdown. If she ran away, she probably doesn't want you to see her like this. She'd probably act like she was alright if you went.” Hearing this from Eclipse, Reiji frowned. 

“It isn't your fault, Reiji,” Taemin spoke up as he approached the two of them. “Adryn's darkness is whispering all these horrible things to her. It's making her doubt herself and everything and making her feel such negative emotions. It'd be best if Eclipse handled it.” Taemin then stood aside and motioned for Reiji to come in. “How about you help me unpack?” 

“...Alright...” Reiji reluctantly agreed. The two watched as Eclipse hurried off. 

While Eclipse was making her way to Adryn, the now orange-red-haired woman was calming down a little bit while she talked to herself. 

“I'm just overreacting. Nothing will hurt our relationship. Well, other than this. Me freaking out over nothing sure might hurt something. Maybe we should just end our relationship if I really can't handle all the worries of a relationship.” Adryn then shook her head. “No, I fought hard and I deserve to be happy and I'm happy with Reiji!” Adryn then started to cry again as she doubted herself some more. “I don't deserve Reiji. I shouldn't have been with him in the first place.” Adryn then curled up into a ball on the bench as she began to fight internally as she sobbed to herself. 

Hearing the crying, Eclipse quickened her pace. As Eclipse ran up into the gazebo, she saw Adryn on the bench in a ball as she cried to herself. If Adryn noticed Eclipse, she didn't make it known. She stayed in her sobbing ball until Eclipse walked over and sat down next to Adryn. Eclipse then reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“I'm here for you, whenever you're ready to talk about what's bothering you,” Eclipse told the woman still crying. Adryn remained crying for another few minutes before she sat up and wiped away her tears. She was still sniffling, but she could talk now.

“I'm just overreacting. I hope I haven't upset Reiji over this.” Adryn sniffled quietly. 

“He wasn't upset with you. Just himself for not being able to help. Plus he's worried about you.” 

“He shouldn't worry about me. I'll be alright.”

“You can't keep bottling things up. They're going to burst out and hurt you and Reiji.” 

“I know that, but I don't want to burden Reiji with my problems or push him away. I don't want him to be freaked out by my problems either... Maybe I shouldn't have gone after Reiji. We should have just stayed friends.”

“No Adryn. Reiji is the best person for you.” 

“Well, I'm not the best person for him.” Adryn snapped a little bit. Eclipse ignored the harshness, and reached over and pulled Adryn's face to look at her. 

“You are wrong. You're not the terrible person that you think you are. You might not be perfect, but with Reiji, you are a better person and are happier.” Eclipse told the woman. “Reiji is the only one who has actually romantically loved you for who you are.” Eclipse then let go of Adryn's face and allowed Adryn to look off into the darkening trees.

“A storm is coming. You should get back to Taemin before it comes.”

“Come with me.”

“I want to stay a little longer. I need to sort out my own feelings.” 

“Alright...”

“Thank you though, for putting sense back into me.”

“Of course.” Eclipse then reluctantly headed back to the mansion quickly. She was met by Reiji and Taemin at the side door. When Reiji saw no Adryn behind Eclipse, he began to panic. “There's a storm coming, but Adryn wouldn't come back with me. She wanted to sort things out herself.” 

“Where is she? How do I get there?” Reiji immediately asked.

“She's in a black gazebo down the path. Don't stray from the path, you will get lost. Make sure to pay attention.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Reiji was gone. Just as the rain began to fall, Reiji ran down the path. He also nearly tripped over rocks and roots. He began to have a hard time seeing as the rain began to fall harder. Reiji was getting soaked and blinded by the rain. Eventually though, despite the darkness and rain, Reiji began to see the gazebo. He rushed into it, surprising Adryn who was huddled up and shivering. 

“Reiji?” Adryn asked as she stood up and hurried to him. She then pulled him further into the gazebo where it was mostly dry. “Why are you here? What were you thinking about running around a dark forest while it's raining?”

“I can't just leave the woman I love alone in a dark and rainy forest.” Reiji instantly responded without hesitation. Adryn then sighed and sat down on the bench again. 

“I'm sorry for acting like a child.”

“Don't. You aren't acting like a child. You're reacting how you're supposed to react, even if it's different from my way of reacting.” Reiji then sat down next to Adryn, ignoring the soaking wetness of his clothes and hair. The chill began to seep into him, but he also ignored that. “Look Adryn, I'm worried about our relationship too, especially for when I leave the mansion. I'm worried to lose you. Whether it's because of the distance between us, a fight, or your darkness tearing us apart.” Adryn opened her mouth to speak but Reiji continued. “I want to hear the darkest parts of you. The things that you won't tell Eclipse or even admit to yourself. I just want you to be open and honest about everything.” Adryn paused and looked down before looking back to Reiji. 

“My darkness is telling me that I don't deserve you. That you don't deserve someone as tainted and not right as me. The darkness tells me that we should just break up because of how it makes me seem.” Adryn then tried to smile as she continued. “You are the best man that I've ever met. I don't want to lose you because of my darkness. I don't want to push you away.” 

“Nothing could ever push me away from you. I've been here for you through your treatment and through you healing up. I wouldn't run away now.”

“Sometimes, my darkness tells me that I shouldn't be allowed to live. That I'll become just like Nova as punishment for what I did to Nova. Not that I did anything wrong. Just the breakup we went through.” Hearing this, Reiji pulled Adryn into a hug. “You're wet,” Adryn muttered simply. 

“Just deal with it.” Reiji chuckled before getting serious. “No one deserves to end up as Nova did. Besides you never did anything wrong. You have made your fans' lives better by being alive and you make my life better by being alive.” Adryn sniffled and wrapped her arms around Reiji, a soaked and cold Reiji. 

“I love you, with everything that I am and I'm terrified about how we'll make things work once you leave the mansion. I know you have to leave with your group.”

“Yeah, I do have to leave, but I'll visit whenever I can and once we go public, we can be even closer together. We can see each other whenever we want.” Adryn smiled and nodded her head. She then realized something. Reiji was truly cold and soaked. Instant panic began to set into Adryn. 

“We need to get back to the mansion immediately.” Adryn was serious now about her worry for Reiji. 

“Huh? Why?” Reiji clearly didn't notice how cold and wet he was due to how amped up he was. 

“Just come on!” Adryn grabbed Reiji's hand and pulled him through the forest. The rain was lessening up, but the damage was already done. Both Adryn and Reiji were soaked and ice cold. Reiji and Adryn burst through the side door, surprising Taemin and Eclipse. 

“Are you two alright?” Eclipse asked as she handed towels to Adryn. This was when Reiji's teeth began to chatter. The cold had finally hit him. Adryn immediately put the towels around Reiji and tried to dry him. She then began to walk past Taemin and Eclipse. 

“I have to get him warmed up,” Adryn stated as she dragged Reiji along with her to his room. Once in Reiji's room, Adryn pulled his shirt off suddenly. This surprised Reiji, but he smirked at her. 

“Oh? Want me to get naked?” Reiji teased simply. 

“Hush. Go get in the shower and warm up. I'll get you some warm clothes to wear afterward. Reiji frowned but did as he was told. He went into the bathroom and as soon as Adryn heard the shower start, she began to go through his clothes. Adryn found pants and a shirt for Reiji and sat on his bed to wait for him. After a couple of minutes, Reiji walked out of the bathroom only wearing a towel around his waist. Adryn instantly blushed and looked away from him. 

“You shouldn't be embarrassed to see your boyfriend naked, you know?” Reiji teased, causing Adryn to throw his clothes at him. 

“Get dressed.” Adryn then got off the bed and turned around. Instead of getting dressed, Reiji walked to Adryn and wrapped his arms around her. 

“I'd be a lot warmer if you helped me warm up.” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn blushed deeper. 

“Y-You need to get changed and get into bed. I'll come to snuggle with you after I get a shower and changed too.” 

“Aw... Fine. Just make sure you come and snuggle afterward.” 

“I promise.” With that, Adryn kissed Reiji and headed out of his room, without looking at his nearly naked body. With that, Adryn took off her wet wig and put it up before getting into the shower. After getting all warm, Adryn got out and put a different wig on. This wig was much shorter and was her normal red in color. She then got dressed in sleep clothes and headed to Reiji's room, only to see that he was sleeping. Reiji was all snuggled up under his covers, so Adryn joined him and snuggled up to him. She wanted to make sure he was plenty warm. Adryn then drifted off to sleep with Reiji.


	20. Sick

Knocking at the door a few hours later, is what woke Adryn up. She climbed out of bed and headed to the door before cracking it open. The opening of the door revealed Eclipse standing there. 

“Dinner is ready. You two need to come down.” Eclipse told the woman who'd just woken up. 

“Alright. We'll be right down.” Adryn closed the door, turned on the lights, and turned to Reiji. She then climbed onto the bed to wake Reiji up, but when she touched him, she realized that he was very hot to the touch. Adryn then realized that he was all sweaty too. “Reiji?” Adryn shook him slightly, but nothing happened. So, worried now, Adryn hurried out of the room and called for Eclipse who was just down the hallway a little bit. “Eclipse! Something is wrong.” 

“What?” Eclipse hurried back to Adryn and the two went to Reiji. Eclipse felt Reiji's forehead and realized he was burning up. “He has a fever.” Eclipse then reached out and shook Reiji harder than Adryn had before. All Reiji did was flutter his eyes open before closing them again with a groan. This caused Adryn to go into hysterics. Adryn began to pace back and forth, muttering to herself about how this wasn't good. “Calm down. I need to go get someone to call a doctor. He can't be moved right now. Can you stay with him?” 

“Alright, yeah...” Adryn muttered as she paused in her pacing. With that, Eclipse left the room and Adryn went back to Reiji. She grabbed a hold of his hand and began to cry. “I'm so sorry. This is all my fault.” Of course, Reiji didn't respond, but she could imagine that Reiji would smile at her and tell her that it was alright. Seeing him unconscious caused more tears to flow from her eyes. She hardly noticed time passing until Eclipse returned with Ai in tow. Ai took one look at Reiji and spoke. 

“I'll call the doctor that Reiji sees every so often,” Ai explained as he left the room to make the call. 

“This is my fault. I got him sick from my meltdown.” Adryn was shaking and worried beyond belief.

“I know Reiji wouldn't blame you, you know that too,” Eclipse told her best friend. Adryn nodded her head and wiped away a few stray tears. Before anything else could be said, Ai entered the room again. 

“The doctor is on his way. Someone will need to let him in.” 

“Here Ai, take Adryn with you,” Eclipse muttered as she pulled and pushed Adryn around until she was out of the room. Adryn tried to protest, but Eclipse just closed the door on her. So, Ai began to head down to the entrance hall with Adryn trailing behind him. Once in the entrance hall, Adryn sat on the bench and tried to not cry in front of Ai. Meanwhile, Ai was watching Adryn's every move and emotion that flitted across her face. 

“You really do love him, don't you.” It was a statement from Ai, not a question. 

“Of course I do.”

“I knew you did. It was just never as obvious as this moment in time.”

“There was a time when I wasn't sure about my love for Reiji, but that was just because I was, I mean am, a fan of him. I wasn't sure what kind of love I had, but I know now. Especially after everything we've been through together.” 

“In a way, I am not happy, but relieved that Reiji has found someone to love. He deserves it more than anyone.” 

“Ai? Are you feeling alright? You're being more open than usual.” Adryn really wanted a response, but the buzzer at the gate stopped whatever response Ai was going to give. Adryn grumbled about bad timing and got up to buzz in the doctor. Adryn and Ai watched the doctor drive up the driveway and stop in front of the now open door. 

“Take me to him right away.” That was all that came out of the doctor's mouth. So, the three headed upstairs to where Eclipse was putting a cool cloth on Reiji's forehead. Reiji was still unconscious. The doctor hurried to Reiji and then spoke up. “Can everyone leave the room?” 

“Sure,” Eclipse responded when Adryn wanted to say no. Eclipse pulled Adryn along as Ai left the room himself. They closed the door behind them and the doctor got to work. This left Ai, Adryn, and Eclipse standing outside of the room. Adryn began to pace back and forth as Ai began to speak. 

“I need to let the others know what's going on with Reiji,” Ai explained before heading off. Everyone was in the kitchen and was unaware of the drama unfolding with Reiji. Once Ai was gone, Eclipse turned to the panicking Adryn. 

“You need to calm down. Reiji wouldn't like you worrying over him like this.” Eclipse told Adryn who froze in her walking around. She nodded her head and sat down on the floor in front of her bedroom door. Eclipse went and sat down next to her and smiled at her. “Reiji will be alright. It's probably just a bad cold. He'll be fine once the doctor handles it.” 

“I know Reiji will be fine. There's so much more time that we need to spend together and so many other things that we need to do together.” Adryn responded simply as she tried hard to not break down. Eclipse just wrapped her arm around her best friend and pulled her close. 

“It'll be alright.” Eclipse tried to reassure Adryn. Adryn nodded her head in agreement. Soon though, Taemin came hurrying down the hallway, having been told by Ai what was going on. 

“Hey,” Taemin called out as he approached the two women on the ground. Both Adryn and Eclipse stood up to greet Taemin. “Have you heard anything about Reiji?” 

“No, the doctor is still with him,” Eclipse responded only for the doctor to open the door at that moment. 

“How is he?” Adryn asked as the doctor walked out of Reiji's room. 

“He will most likely be alright. He just has a cold.” The doctor responded simply. 

“But none of us have been sick, where could he have gotten it from?” 

“Actually, I am recovering from being sick. I had a cold for a little while now but I thought I wasn't contagious anymore.” Taemin informed the group sadly. 

“Reiji was out in the rain earlier and got super cold and soaking wet for a little while,” Adryn spoke up next to the doctor. 

“Being cold and wet might have helped the cold become worse, but it most likely came from your friend here.” The doctor responded simply. 

“I'm sorry, Adryn.” Taemin looked to his friend sadly. 

“It's alright,” Adryn responded trying her hardest to smile at Taemin. She didn't want him to feel bad about this. 

“Hey, Adryn, you need to get on something before you get a cold too. Your body might still not be able to fight it as well due to your previous health issues.” Eclipse commented, not wanting to be too specific in front of the doctor. 

“I won't be prescribing him any medications, but he needs to wake up and get his fever down before it becomes a health risk to him and everyone else. If he gets worse, he'll need actual medication.” The doctor then went into his instructions. “He needs to drink plenty of fluids. He needs to get into lightweight clothes and a light blanket. He also needs some fever reducer over the counter medication. If he develops a cough, he can have some cough medicine and some through lozenges to relieve it.” 

“Thank you,” Adryn told the doctor, who just nodded his head in return. 

“I'll show the doctor out,” Taemin spoke up before he and the doctor began to walk through the halls to go back outside.

Eclipse decided to take this time to change Reiji's cloth, as he had warmed it up. She also told Adryn that she was going to get the fever reducer medicine as well and be back eventually. It was Adryn's job to wake Reiji up. So Adryn tried. She called his name and shook him, but nothing happened. She then called his name louder and shook him a little harder. This time, Reiji's eyes fluttered open and remained open, but he looked confused. 

“What's going-” Reiji coughed a few times. “What's going on?” Reiji finally got to say before a few more coughs. 

“You're sick, you have a cold. Eclipse is bringing some medicine for you to take.” Adryn responded as she looked at him. She was worried but thankful he woke up finally. 

“I'm sorry for getting sick.” 

“It's not your fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have made you run through the rain.” Reiji seemed to ignore Adryn's comment because he just smiled at her. 

“You look pretty with that wig on, my girl.” 

“Thanks. Now can you sit up so you can take the medicine when Eclipse gets back?” 

“Hmm...” Reiji tried to sit up by himself, but couldn't. So Adryn helped him sit up just as Eclipse got back with some pills, water, and a wet cloth. She gave the water and pills to Reiji and instructed him to take them. Reiji did as he was told and then laid back down, prompting more coughs to slip out of him. Eclipse then put the wet and cold cloth on his forehead. 

“Get well soon, Reiji,” Eclipse muttered as she moved to the door to his room. 

“Thank you,” Reiji mumbled in response. He then looked to Adryn. “Can you stay with me? I don't want to be alone.” 

“I always planned on staying with you, Reiji.” 

“Hmm... Good...” Reiji then grimaced. “I feel sticky and sweaty.” 

“Alright give me a moment.” Adryn hurried off to get a damp washcloth and a small towel as Reiji sat up. His wet cloth on his forehead fell onto his lap, so he gently set it aside on the bedside table. Adryn then returned, wiped him down, and dried him before going in search of a new shirt for Reiji. Reiji coughed, making Adryn pause, but eventually, she got him a new shirt to wear. She then had to help him get it back on before he was able to lay back down. Once he was laid down, Adryn put the cool cloth back onto his forehead. “Do you need anything else before I get into bed?”

“No, I'm good. I just need you next to me.” To Reiji's words, Adryn smiled and climbed into bed, but remained on top of the covers. Seeing that Adryn didn't lie right next to him with her body against his, Reiji pouted. Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at his face. 

“You're so cute when you pout. The only reason why I'm not under the covers is that I don't want you to overheat.” Adryn then got snuggled up to Reiji but above the covers. She then began to play with his hair, causing Reiji to lean into her hand. Eventually, Reiji drifted off to sleep along with Adryn. 

What felt like a couple of hours later, Adryn woke up. She instantly noticed that Reiji was sleep sleeping so she checked to see how hot he felt. He was a little less hot than before, making Adryn smile. Adryn then made her way out of his bed carefully to not wake him up. Adryn then headed down to the kitchen to grab a snack, since she'd missed dinner. On the way there, Adryn ran into Eclipse who was also heading to the kitchen. 

“How's Reiji?” Eclipse asked as they made their way to the kitchen. 

“He isn't as hot as he was, but he's still warm,” Adryn responded simply as they entered the kitchen. “Should I make something for Reiji? Like microwave oatmeal?” 

“That sounds like it'd be easy for him to eat, so sure. Make some for us too.” 

“Alright.” With that, Adryn made 3 batches of oatmeal and then put them on a tray and handed the tray to Eclipse. Adryn was worried she'd trip and drop it all but knew that Eclipse could handle it. They then headed up to Reiji's room. Once there, Eclipse sat the food down on the desk as Adryn went to wake up Reiji. “Reiji? It's time to get up for a little bit.” Adryn's words were enough this time to wake the man up. He was clearly a bit more responsive this time. 

“Hmm?” Reiji mumbled as he opened his eyes slowly. He blinked the sleepiness away before Adryn helped him sit up. 

“Here, it's time for more pills. Take these.” Eclipse handed Reiji some more fever reducer pills. He drank them down with some water and drank more water afterward. 

“Alright, now eat some. It's just microwave oatmeal but it's good. I love it.” 

“Thank you,” Reiji muttered as he took the bowl of food from Adryn. He ate a couple of bites as Adryn and Eclipse ate all of theirs. That was all he could manage to eat before feeling too full. Adryn then set their bowls back onto the tray before turning to her sick lover. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Not good, but I'm not as delirious as earlier.”

“That's good.” 

“It would be if I wasn't all sticky again,” Reiji muttered as he pulled his shirt away from himself. This is when Eclipse decided to excuse herself from the room with the tray of bowls, wishing Reiji well as she went. 

“Alright. Let's get your shirt off now.” Adryn and Reiji went through the same thing as before. She got him wiped down and dried off before putting him in a new shirt. 

“Can you snuggle with me under the covers this time? It'd make me feel better.”

“...Alright, dammit. You're lucky you're adorable.” Adryn grumbled as she crawled into bed with Reiji. She laid down, letting Reiji lay his head on her chest. She then wrapped her arms around him carefully. They don't fall asleep right away though. “We had a date planned for tomorrow... or today, I'm not sure what day it is anymore.” 

“Yeah, I don't think we can go out now though,” Reiji muttered sadly. 

“We can go to the theater room and maybe watch a movie or something if you're feeling up to it.” 

“That'd be great!” Reiji then coughed from his excitement and then whimpered. “You're warm...” Reiji whispered to Adryn, hoping he wouldn't cough again. 

“I think you're the one that's warm, Reiji, but thanks I guess.” 

“I love you,” Reiji mumbled as he began to fall asleep. 

“I love you too. Now rest up.” 

“Hmm...” Reiji then fell asleep with a smile on his face. Adryn decided to stay awake for a little bit longer. 

Adryn thought to herself how happy she was to have Reiji in her life now and with her. She then thanked whoever for the life she'd been given, as she knew that everything that happened to her led her to this moment with Reiji. She then drifted off to sleep despite sleeping so much already that day. 

~

Adryn woke up to the sound of the shower running. This caused her to sit up in bed, realize that it was morning already, and also realize that Reiji was nowhere to be seen. Adryn assumed Reiji was in the shower so she just sat there in his bed for a few minutes until she heard the shower turn off. A little bit after that, Reiji emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist and noticed Adryn was awake. 

“Good morning, Adryn,” Reiji spoke up as he smiled at her. 

“How are you feeling?” Adryn questioned, trying to not look at Reiji's body.

“I feel a lot better, but not completely better. I just really needed a shower and it helped me out a lot. I was too congested and needed to get everything out before I woke you up by sneezing or coughing like crazy.” 

“Well, you look and sound a lot better. I mean you don't look as sick, not that you look better because you have no clothes on... Oh my god, I'm going to stop talking now...” Adryn covered her face with her hands as her face went completely red. This caused Reiji to laugh out loud, which then caused him to wince in pain due to his throat. 

“You're adorable, my girl,” Reiji commented as Adryn uncovered her face to show him she was pouting. 

“Shut up...” Adryn then climbed out of bed and headed toward the door. This made Reiji worried that he'd upset her. 

“Where are you going?” 

“I want to get ready for the day. I'll meet up with you later.” 

“I'll be heading to the kitchen after I get dressed, so meet me there.” 

“Alright, see you there.” Adryn smiled at Reiji and then headed out the door, closing it behind her. She then headed to her room and took a shower. She then put on her orange-red wig again that was pretty much dry. She then put new clothes on and headed to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Adryn noticed that Ranmaru and I were also in the kitchen with Reiji, and it seemed like they had been scolding Reiji or something. “Hey, guys. What's up?” 

“Just telling your idiot boyfriend that he shouldn't be up and moving after being so sick,” Ranmaru responded simply. Adryn chuckled at his response and headed to the now pouting Reiji. 

“But Ran-Ran, after snuggling with Adryn in bed all night I feel much much better!” Reiji cried out, causing Adryn to freeze. 

“I don't need to know about what happens in your bed,” Ai spoke up, seemingly calm but with a little annoyance too. Adryn was blushing but tried to shake it off as she turned to Reiji. 

“Do you want me to make you something?” Adryn asked, causing Reiji to pause before shaking his head. 

“No, it's alright,” Reiji responded, remembering Eclipse's warning about Adryn and cooking. “I'll make something simple, want me to make you something too?” 

“No thanks. I'll just eat cereal.” Adryn then headed to the cupboards to find her cereal. Ranmaru and Ai took this chance to stand up and head to the door.

“Where are you two going?” Reiji questioned as he looked at his friends. 

“To work on our final songs,” Ranmaru responded before he and Ai disappeared through the door. 

“I wonder how Nova is supposed to record her parts for the songs she has for her.” To Adryn's wonder, Reiji just shrugged as he had no clue either. The two then went about making and eating their foods. As Reiji finished up eating his food, Adryn began to clean up for him. He just decided to sit there and watch her as things around him began to spin. Reiji had been moving around too much. However, he thought of something that made him smile. 

“This feels like we're married,” Reiji commented which nearly caused Adryn to drop her bowl that she'd been cleaning. She remained still and facing forward, not trusting herself to look at Reiji with how red she'd just gotten. 

“How do you feel about that?” 

“I like it and hope that it will be not 'like' but 'are' married one day.” To Reiji's words, Adryn chuckled a little nervously before she collected herself. 

“Maybe one day, but we're definitely not there yet.” 

“True, but still, it feels like we are married, which is nice.” This time, Adryn turned around and smiled at Reiji. 

“Well, you're a good husband then.” Reiji couldn't help but laugh at Adryn's comment. 

“You're a good wife.” 

“Um, what?” Reiji and Adryn turned to the doorway to see Eclipse and Taemin standing there. “What are you two talking about?” To Eclipse's confusion, Adryn and Reiji began to laugh and not respond to her. “If you guys got engaged now, we could have a cool double wedding.” 

“We're not there yet.” Adryn simply responded as she made her way to Reiji. “Speaking of weddings, when are you two going to get married?” 

“As soon as possible, so like next month?” 

“I wonder if Nova can come back for it...”

“I actually just talked to my father. He said if Nova was doing good enough, then yes, she can come back for the wedding. However, if she relapses back into her old ways, then it'd be better if she didn't return at all.” 

“What about Nova's songs?” 

“Nova will be sent copies of the songs for her to record in America while Ranmaru records his parts here in Japan.”

“We'll have to be recording soon, right?” Reiji suddenly asked, joining in the conversation.

“Not anytime for you. You need to focus on getting healthy so stop thinking about work.” Adryn scolded the man, who instantly pouted. 

“I'm right though.” 

“Yes, you are, but with how congested you sound, you can't be singing currently.” 

“Right. Actually, I'm not feeling all that well anymore.” Reiji sniffled a little bit, which then caused him to begin coughing. Adryn then started to go through the drawers of the kitchen to find cough medicine. Once she did, she returned to Reiji's side. “Here, take this.” She then gave him a dose and he took it with some water he'd gotten with his food. “Want to go back to bed?” 

“No. I'll get some rest in the theater room while we're watching a movie,” Reiji responded with a cough. 

“You mean you'll be sleeping through the movie because this cough medicine is going to make you drowsy.” Reiji laughed at Adryn's comment, prompting him to cough a bunch. Adryn rubbed his back gently to try to soothe him and she frowned at his coughing. 

“Are you two planning to watch a movie in place of the date you had planned today?” Eclipse asked her best friend who just nodded her head in return. “I see. Taemin and I were going to watch a movie today too.” 

“We can watch the same movie. Reiji will be sleeping and I always sleep during movies.” 

“Then why are you wanting to watch a movie anyway?” 

“We just wanted to spend time doing something we don't usually do. As long as we're together it doesn't matter what we do.” 

“I can understand that,” Taemin responded in place of his lover. 

“Right. Well, as long as we remain separate, we can watch a movie together.” Eclipse told her best friend. 

“Cool. We'll we're going on ahead. See you later.” With that from Adryn, she and Reiji headed out of the kitchen and headed to the theater room. They sat down on the left side of the room, leaving the right side to Eclipse and Taemin. 

“What should we watch?” Reiji asked Adryn as he leaned against her. He let his head fall against her shoulder as he reached over to take one of her hands into his. He held it tightly, bringing a smile to Adryn's face. She then leaned her head against his head and spoke up.

“Not sure. Let's let Eclipse and Taemin pick a movie.” 

“Cool.” 

“I really hope you get better soon. I'm worried about you.” Adryn mumbled to Reiji who smiled in return. 

“I like you taking care of me though, so I'll stay sick a bit longer.” Reiji teased, causing Adryn to frown. 

“While you're an adorable puppy when like this, I want you healthy so we can do our songs together. I want to move onto the next stage of our lives.” 

“I don't want to leave the mansion anymore...” Reiji muttered quietly to Adryn. 

“Why?”

“I'll miss you...and stuff...”

“'And stuff'?”

“If we aren't in the same house, we can't snuggle whenever I want, I can't hold you whenever I want and I can't kiss you whenever I want.” Hearing this from her lover, Adryn smiled. 

“No matter what, you can always text or call me and I'll answer. Even at night, I'll leave my phone's sound on so I can hear your text or call, no matter what the hour.” 

“It won't be the same though...”

“Yeah, I know. I don't want you to leave either.”

“Leaving is going to suck because I know that I have to. Even so, at least we'll be in the same country.” 

“Knowing that helps a bit, but not seeing you every day will be tough to handle.” 

“I agree. We'll just have to make time for dates and visits, especially after we become public with our relationship.” Reiji sounded so hopeful, but Adryn instantly frowned anyway. 

“What if the fans won't be supportive. What if they try to hurt our relationship or break us up?” 

“You should have more faith in our fans.”

“I do, I'm just worried about how they'll react to someone like me dating you.” Reiji instantly frowned due to Adryn's words. 

“They'll understand my feelings for you and accept us wholeheartedly just as I accepted you.” 

“I sure hope so. I don't want to hurt your job as an idol in any way.” 

“I love how caring you are about my job. I know you understand me and my love of being an idol because you're one too.” 

“I'll always try to respect and care when it comes to your job. As long as you do the same for me.” Before Reiji could respond to Adryn, Taemin and Eclipse walked into the room. They had some snacks in their arms. They ended up seated in the same row as Adryn and Reiji, but on the complete other side of the room. 

“What movie should we watch?” Eclipse asked which was directed to everyone in the room. 

“We'll be sleeping so you guys choose,” Reiji responded to Eclipse before Adryn could say the same thing. Eclipse laughed at Reiji's comment. 

“We'll probably sleep too, after snacks though,” Eclipse responded as Taemin got up to put a movie in. It was a random movie that Adryn didn't bother asking about. She wasn't sure what the movie was, but she didn't care. She did watch for a little bit before she began to hear Reiji leaning against her deeply breathing, indicating that he was asleep. So, Adryn decided to snuggle up against Reiji, the best she could as she listened to the sounds of the movie. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she drifted off to sleep, but she eventually did.


	21. Movie Date

Adryn was startled awake by the sound of Eclipse's loud laughter. Adryn instantly heard Taemin chuckle as he told Eclipse that she needed to keep it down due to the sleeping Reiji and Adryn. It was too late though, Adryn was awake now. So, Adryn leaned carefully away from Reiji to stretch a little bit. This is when Eclipse and Taemin turned around to see if Eclipse's laugh had woken anyone up. 

“I woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry.” Eclipse muttered to Adryn. Adryn just shrugged her shoulders. 

“How long have we been sleeping?” Adryn asked quietly but also loud enough to be heard over the movie. 

“An hour or so.” To Eclipse's words, Adryn nodded her head. She then snuggled back up against Reiji and under the blanket that had been put around them some time while they slept. Adryn then began to watch some of the movie. Adryn quickly realized that the movie was in Japanese and that it was a love story of some kind. She'd missed so much of the movie though, so she didn't really know everything that was going on. She did understand one thing though, the 2 main characters, or what seemed like them were chatting about how in love they were with each other. This made Adryn lose interest in the movie quickly. Just about that time, Adryn felt Reiji shift beside her, causing her to look over at him to see what was up. It turned out that Reiji was awake now and looking at the screen in confusion.   
“Why are you so confused?” Adryn mumbled to Reiji who looked over at Adryn. 

“I just didn't expect to see a romance movie on, is all.” Reiji was sounding a little congested still, but it was a bit better now. 

“We should make our own love story type of movie.” 

“That's a good idea for when we come out with our relationship.” Reiji smiled at Adryn, prompting her to smile back. 

“Speaking of relationships out in the open, what about you and Taemin, Eclipse?” Adryn looked to her best friend who turned to look back at her. 

“We already have posted our relationship and our engagement.” Eclipse simply stated with a smile. 

“How did your fans take that?” 

“Don't know. I don't bother reading messages and comments from fans when it comes to my personal life. I don't need any hateful or negative comments in my life.” 

“Ah, I see. I guess family and friend's words matter more than strangers' words anyway.” 

“Does that mean you won't be bothered if we get any negative comments about our relationship?” Reiji asked Adryn causing her to turn to look at him. Adryn laughed before responding. 

“I'll probably be bothered to be honest but I won't let it get to me that much.” 

“Our fans matter, but their hateful words don't. Remember that.” 

“Of course,” Adryn responded to her lover before moving to get up. “I'm thirsty and I'm gonna get a drink, anyone want something?” 

“Sure. Water is good.” Reiji responded before Eclipse and Taemin both responded the same thing. 

“Alright, I'll bring a bunch of water back then.” Adryn then climbed out of the blanket that she had with Reiji before heading out of the room. Before heading to the kitchen, Adryn decided to sneak a peek at her and Eclipse's cubs. However, when she peeked her head into the cubs' room, she saw Ranmaru in there playing with the cubs. Both Ranmaru and Adryn paused and stared back at each other. “Hey there Ranmaru.” 

“Hey.” With that response from Ranmaru, he went back to playing with the cubs. He had one of the cat toys and was playing with Serenity, while Precious just watched and thought about joining in on the fun. 

“I thought you were working on your last song with Ai?”

“Already finished it.” 

“I see...” Adryn then walked over and sat down next to Ranmaru and Serenity. Adryn reached out to her cub, causing her to move away from Ranmaru and to Adryn. Adryn began to pet her cub as Ranmaru watched them.

“What are you doing here anyway?” 

“I was getting drinks for Eclipse, Taemin, and Reiji.” 

“You should go get them drinks, Reiji needs to stay hydrated.” Hearing this from the silver-haired male, Adryn smiled. 

“It's nice how you care about Reiji.” 

“I don't.” Ranmaru's response was immediate, which caused Adryn to laugh. 

“It's alright to admit it, I won't tell Reiji.” 

“Secrets are bad for relationships.” 

“Some secrets are alright, as long as they aren't too bad.” Everything was silent for a few moments before Ranmaru spoke up. 

“You aren't allowed to interfere in QUARTET NIGHT and our existence.” 

“You know, Ranmaru, I was a fan of QUARTET NIGHT long before my relationship with Reiji. I always plan on being a fan of you guys. I'll never do anything to hurt you all in any way.” Adryn spoke as honestly as she could. This caused Ranmaru to study her for a moment to judge if she was telling the truth or not. He then went back to playing with Serenity and Precious. “The cubs really like you. It's a shame you'll be leaving soon.”

“I agree. I wish I could have spent more time with them since we're leaving as soon as we finish recording all our songs.” 

“I'm sorry that your partner went all crazy because of me and had to be taken away. I hope you guys can perform your songs after Nova is healthy again.” 

“You shouldn't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault.” 

“Thank you, Ranmaru.” Adryn then stood up and headed for the door. “Good luck with everything and have fun with the cubs.” 

“Yeah, good luck with you too.” Ranmaru's words were quiet, but Adryn had excellent hearing and picked his words up. This brought a smile to her face as she made her way to the kitchen. Adryn was finally able to grab a few bottles of water and then headed back to the theater room. Adryn entered the theater room, headed to Taemin and Eclipse to hand them their waters before returning to Reiji's side. 

“Here you go,” Adryn spoke to the sleepy man. Reiji was hardly awake, but just awake enough to take a drink of water. He then allowed Adryn to drink her own water before leaning against her completely. His head landed on her shoulder and he got all snuggled up to her. 

“Wake me up when the movie ends,” Reiji mumbled as he slowly began to fall back asleep. 

“I'll be sleeping too. So, Eclipse can you wake us up later?” 

“I'll set my alarm on my phone. I'll be sleeping as well. This movie sucks ass.” Eclipse responded with a laugh. So Eclipse did just that. She set her phone alarm for the remaining time on the movie, got all snuggled up to Taemin, and then drifted off to sleep. Adryn got all close to Reiji and then fell asleep as well. They fell asleep listening to the sounds of random drama on the screen, not that anyone was paying attention to it anymore. 

~

Eclipse woke up a few hours later to her phone going off. She turned off the alarm, stretched, and then turned to wake up Taemin, who was already awake and looking right at her. Eclipse jolted, nearly falling from her seat. Taemin caught her and steadied her so she could move back into her seat normally. 

“How long have you been up?” Eclipse asked Taemin quietly. 

“I never fell asleep. I've just been watching you sleep this whole time.” Taemin responded, probably trying to sound romantic, but it came out weird, causing Eclipse to laugh to herself. 

“I hope I didn't make any weird noises in my sleep...” 

“Nope, you're good,” Taemin responded with a chuckle. Eclipse smiled at him before turning to look at Adryn and Reiji. They were still asleep and all snuggled up with each other. They looked adorable and it made Eclipse happy to finally see Adryn truly in a good relationship. However, Eclipse knew that they wanted to be woken up, so Eclipse headed to them and shook Adryn. 

“Hey, wake up,” Eclipse called out to Adryn. Adryn proceeded to open her eyes look at Eclipse before closing her eyes once more. “YEE!” Eclipse's tone was manly and deep. Adryn instantly opened her eyes and looked up at Eclipse confused and worried. 

“The fuck?” These were the first words out of Adryn's mouth. Somehow this didn't wake Reiji up but did cause Taemin to burst out into laughter from his seat in the background. 

“You have been sleeping a lot recently.” Eclipse pointed out, completely ignoring the confusion still on Adryn's face. 

“I'm always tired and up for a nap.” 

“I'm already ready for another nap,” Reiji muttered, having woken up from hearing Adryn's voice. His voice was all growly and strained. He then began to cough a few times before he sneezed. 

“Are you alright?” 

“I could use some more medicine or something. My throat hurts now.” 

“Let's go get you some throat lozenges or something. It should help.” 

“I'd love something to help. My throat is all raspy now.” 

“You do sound a little different than usual.” Adryn pointed out with a frown. Reiji smirked though. 

“Do I sound sexy?” Reiji was trying to sound sexy, which just caused him to cough painfully. Adryn laughed a little bit along with Eclipse, causing Reiji to pout. “You don't have to be mean about it...” Reiji then pushed the blanket off of him and went to get up. “I don't want to see you right now.” Reiji declared to Adryn as he tried to stand. Adryn instantly grabbed his arm.

“Wait! I'm sorry. I love your raspy voice, but I'd rather hear your normal voice because I love it more.” 

“Oh, really?” Reiji seemed to be fine with Adryn nodding her head. So, then Reiji sat back down. All the while, Eclipse returned to Taemin's side. “I wish I could kiss you right now, but I don't want to risk giving you my cold.” Adryn then just grabbed Reiji's face, leaned over, and kissed his forehead. This all surprised Reiji. 

“I'm going to kiss you whenever I feel like it. Maybe just sometimes not on the lips when it shouldn't happen.” Adryn declared proudly to Reiji. This brought a smile to his face. 

“I'll gladly accept your kisses, no matter where they are placed.” 

“What kind of places are you talking about?” Eclipse's tone was suggestive, prompting Adryn to blush deeply. Reiji's reaction was to panic laugh as Taemin and Eclipse actually laugh at their reactions. Adryn and Reiji then look at each other, this caused them both to laugh nervously with each other. However, after a moment of laughing, Adryn got up and stretched. 

“We should go get those throat lozenges and get you some medicine.” Adryn looked to Reiji, who nodded his head. “You guys coming?” Adryn directed at Eclipse and Taemin.

“Nah, we'll watch another movie until dinner,” Eclipse responded simply. 

“Alright.” Adryn and Reiji then left the room and headed to the kitchen with Reiji coughing most of the way there. Once in the kitchen, Adryn began to rummage through the drawers and cupboards until she found the lozenges. She then gave them to Reiji but told him to take the medicine first. He did, taking it with water before putting the lozenges into his mouth. Reiji then cringed when he tasted them. 

“These aren't as good as they sounded. They say cherry... They aren't cherry...” Reiji pouted but kept them in his mouth anyway. 

“I'm sorry, but they'll make you feel better.” 

“Thank you for taking such good care of me, Adryn.” 

“I love you, so I'll always take care of you.” Seeing how honest Adryn was, Reiji smiled and went to her and hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him back and they stood there in the kitchen holding each other for a little while. 

“What are you doing?” Adryn and Reiji broke apart to see Ai standing there, confused. 

“Bonding.” Reiji simply stated with a smile. Ai studied them for a moment before the confusion faded. 

“Have you two finished up your songs yet?” 

“No, we still have one more to finish up.”

“When will you finish it?” 

“Maybe tonight after dinner if Reiji feels up to it,” Adryn responded in place of her lover. Ai just nodded his head before bringing up another one of his concerns.

“You seem a little different.” Ai pointed out, looking at Reiji. 

“He's sick so he's probably a little off,” Adryn said to Ai, a little confused. 

“No, it's because of you.” 

“Me?” 

“Before, he was so focused on his work. QUARTET NIGHT was the only thing he cared about. Now though, he seems to care about other things as well. Especially you.” 

“I've been an idol for so long, it's surprising to me that I really started to care about someone.” Reiji finally spoke up for himself. 

“I don't care about your personal life, as long as it doesn't affect your work.” Ai's words were harsh but to the point. 

“Ranmaru said something similar to me a little bit ago.” Adryn mentioned mostly to herself.   
“Camus might say something similar as well if he wants to.” 

“No offense, but I wish you all would understand that I'm not going to purposefully affect your work lives. I'm not going to purposefully hurt anyone or anything, so you all can calm down.” 

“They're just worried about me,” Reiji stated, causing Ai to frown instantly. 

“No, we're worried about QUARTET NIGHT.” With those words, Ai left the room, not seeing the pout on Reiji's face. 

“It's nice that they care about you, despite what they say.” Adryn smiled at Reiji. This caused him to chuckle but also caused him to cough. Once he collected himself, trying to not choke on the lozenges, Reiji spoke up. 

“I'm glad we all care about each other now. It wasn't always like that.” Reiji admitted in a bittersweet tone. 

“I wish my own group had a strong bond like your group does. Things aren't going too good for us recently...” 

“Speaking of that, do you think Nova will be healthy enough to return one day?”

“She has to be. PURGATORY isn't a group without Nova.” 

“It's nice that you care so deeply about her.” 

“It isn't caring. Nova needs to return because no one wants to explain why she suddenly left and never returned. Besides, Eclipse and I need our sister back.” Adryn then sighed to herself. “I don't have too many feelings of caring for Nova anymore, but she was our third member ever since she was born.” Reiji just nodded his head to her words. They were then interrupted by his stomach growling. 

“Oh...” Reiji was a little shocked over his own stomach, but Adryn just chuckled. 

“It seems like you're hungry. That's a good sign.” 

“I'm torn between eating and sleeping right now.” 

“You'll sleep better if you eat before sleeping.” Reiji seemed to agree with Adryn, so she then went to making him something simple and easy on the stomach. As she cooked, well microwaved, Reiji nearly fell asleep on the chair at the counter. Thankfully, he caught himself before he fell off the chair though. “Here, eat slowly and as much as you can,” Adryn stated as she set the food in front of Reiji. He did as she told him and he ate and ate until he couldn't eat anymore. 

“Thank you, Adryn.” Reiji sleepily muttered as she moved to clean up the mess she'd made.   
“Come on, my sleepy boy. You need to rest up now.” Adryn then pulled Reiji along with her until they reached an empty living room. “Rest here.” 

“I want you to sleep with me,” Reiji stated as he laid down on the couch. 

“Can't. I want to get some work done on our last song. I have some inspiration for it.” Adryn then gently set a blanket onto Reiji, who instantly snuggled up with it. Adryn bent down, kissed Reiji's forehead, and then left the room. Reiji just watched her leave, suddenly not feeling as tired as he did a few moments ago. He still wanted to rest, so he just laid there thinking and staring at the wall in front of him. 

Reiji began to think about his life and how it was going then, now that Adryn was in it. He figured that they'll be doing more work with Adryn and her group in the future and that their groups would be getting along just fine... hopefully. Reiji also thought about his relationship with Adryn and how it will be going. He hoped that it would be a long and fulfilling relationship. 

“I hope everything goes well with Adryn and me... especially after I leave the mansion...” Reiji muttered to himself before he drifted off to sleep, as he thought about Adryn and their relationship.


	22. Not Yet

A couple of hours go by and it was finally dinner time. Adryn got a call from Eclipse, telling her to wake Reiji up for dinner. So, Adryn walked down the hallways until she reached the room where Reiji was deeply asleep. Adryn smiled at the sleeping man, as he seemed so peaceful. She didn't really want to wake him up, but she knew that she had to. Adryn made her way to Reiji and shook him a little bit, with him waking up right away. 

“Hey there, it's time for dinner,” Adryn informed Reiji, who slowly sat up on the couch. 

“Good, I am a little hungry now,” Reiji responded with a yawn. He slowly got up from the couch and the two of them made their way to the kitchen. As soon as they walked into the kitchen, they saw everyone. 

“You look terrible,” Shiori commented to Reiji, causing Adryn to frown. 

“He looks better than before. He's at least up and about instead of stuck in bed.” Adryn retorted to Shiori. 

“I feel much better, but I'm not 100% yet. I hope by tomorrow I'll be completely recovered.” Reiji spoke up before Shiori could say anything to Adryn. 

“You shouldn't be in a rush to get better.” Adryn frowned at her lover as she spoke. This caused Shiori to laugh at them. 

“When Reiji does get better, he'll have to record your songs together and then leave.” 

“Don't sound so happy!” Eclipse snapped at Shiori who was smirking. Shiori stopped smirking instantly.

“I'm not happy. I'm just relieved that I won't have to see Adryn and Reiji flirting anymore.” 

“I'll miss the flirting once he's gone...” Adryn muttered to herself. 

“I'll miss the flirting too.” Reiji bumped her shoulder bringing out a chuckle from Adryn. Reiji smiled at her before they went to sit down at their normal spots. Eclipse and Taemin were cooking dinner together and as soon as they were done, they dished out the food and brought a plate to everyone. 

Once everyone had food, they began to eat. Reiji ate slower than he usually did and he definitely didn't eat nearly as much as he normally would have. Once he finished eating, Reiji looked at Taemin and began to chat with him. 

“So, about your new project here in Japan...” Reiji began as he looked at Taemin. Taemin just smiled at him before responding. 

“I can't tell you too much about it, since it's still in the making, but when the time is right, I'll talk all about it,” Taemin responded causing Reiji to nod his head in understanding. 

“If you're done, I'll take your plate,” Adryn spoke up to Reiji. 

“Oh, thank you,” Reiji responded as he handed his plate to Adryn, who was standing up now. 

“No problem.” Adryn took their plates and got rid of the extra food before cleaning up their plates. “Do you want to go to my music room and work on our final song together?” 

“Sure.” With that, Reiji and Adryn excused themselves from the kitchen and headed up to her music room. Once there, Adryn began to explain something to Reiji.

“I want to write our final song about things that aren't ending, but just beginning.” 

“I like that,” Reiji admits happily. Adryn had already begun to write the song, so Reiji just went along with it and they began to write it together. The music was already set for it, it would just need to be changed slightly to fit their new concept for the song. 

After multiple hours, the song was about to be finished. All Adryn had to do was write the last sentence of the song. As soon as she wrote the final word, Adryn froze. An overwhelming sense of dread took over.

“Are you alright? Is something wrong?” Reiji had to ask once he realized that Adryn had frozen. 

“I'm just a little upset... and worried about our future now. I mean, I'm confident in our relationship but I'm not confident that I'll be able to handle you leaving. I'm not good with change and you leaving will be a big change.” Adryn then sighed to herself and continued talking. “I just didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to make you feel bad about leaving.” 

“I'm not too happy about leaving either,” Reiji admitted to Adryn. 

“I know that you have to leave, you have to continue on your journey with QUARTET NIGHT and the friends you've made along the way, but I can't help wanting to lock you up or something.” This reminded Reiji about their dungeon in the basement. 

“Maybe you should just lock me up in the dungeon.” 

“...No, I couldn't do anything that would hurt you mentally or physically.” Adryn had contemplated it though for a split second. 

“I know you'd never hurt me. I love you though, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.” Adryn instantly hugged Reiji causing him to hug her back before she pulled away. 

“I feel the same and will work on my possessive behavior. I know how scary it can be, due to Nova and her affection toward me.” 

“A little possessiveness is alright, as long as you don't do anything crazy.” 

“I'm stable on my medications, I shouldn't do anything crazy or harmful toward anyone.” Adryn chuckled in response. 

“I trust you completely and wholly.” Reiji's honest words brought a smile to Adryn's face. 

“Thank you, Reiji.” Adryn then checked her phone and realized how late it'd gotten. Reiji's body seemed to sense it as well, as Reiji yawned. “You should get to bed now. I want to stay up a little longer though and send in our new song to Daichi.” 

“Alright, as long as you get to bed soon after me.” Reiji stood up, kissed Adryn's head, and was out the door. He was clearly looking forward to going to bed and sleeping. So, now alone, Adryn headed to her office and put the finishing touches on their song before sending it in. With that done, she headed to her room and got ready for bed. She then crawled into bed and began to think. Adryn thought about Reiji and how she hoped he would feel better by the next day. Adryn then drifted off to sleep.

Adryn only woke up when her phone went off the next morning. She instantly got up, got ready for the day, and headed out of her room. She wondered if Reiji was still sleeping, but chose to not bother him in case he still needed sleep. So instead, Adryn headed off to the kitchen only to see Taemin sitting there at the counter. 

“Where is Eclipse?” Adryn asked simply as she approached Taemin. 

“She just went to sleep. She'd been up all night with a sudden burst of inspiration to draw.” Taemin responded as he turned to look at his friend. 

“Do you know what she drew?” 

“No, she refused to show me. It's not done, she said she'd show it to me once it was done.” Hearing this from Taemin, Adryn laughed and nodded her head. She knew how Eclipse was with drawing sometimes. 

“It seems like we're the only two awake right now.” 

“Yeah, even the cubs are sleeping still.” Taemin then thought of something. “How are you doing? How's your mental and physical health doing?”

“I think I'm doing pretty well. I'm not physically ill anymore. My mental health is decent with ups and downs but that's normal for the medications I'm on. I'm not as unstable as I was before. Not that I'd been anywhere nearly as unstable as Nova was. Speaking of Nova, how is she doing?” 

“She's doing great actually. She'll most likely come back anytime now as long as she feels ready to and if she's able to stay on the medicines she's on now.” 

“You know, I never meant for any of that to go down like it did. I never wanted things to go so downhill, but I don't regret anything.” 

“Nova has expressed sorrow for her actions that led to your suffering with John and then the attempt with Reiji.”

“I wonder if she and I can ever be friends again. I wonder if her time with PURGATORY is over now.” Adryn looked to the ground, feeling bad about those two things. 

“Nova has implied that she wants to return again and make things right. She even wants to remain in the group.” 

“It'd be nice to have Nova back, but I'm not sure if Nova would be alright. Once we see each other again, there's no telling what would happen.” 

“I agree, but have faith.” Hearing this from Taemin, Adryn laughed. 

“I don't have faith toward anything. I have to think the worst at all times, that way if things go good, I can be happy. However, if sad things go down, then I can just be sad, but I'll have expected it.”

“That's no way to live, Adryn.” 

“I can't help it. I don't want to be let down anymore.”

“What about your relationship with Reiji?” 

“Reiji is the one thing I can be positive about. I've been through so many relationships but I've finally found the one. I've been hurt and hurt, but I know Reiji wouldn't hurt me. This is it for me, Taemin. This relationship is it. If this doesn't work out, I'll die with my 90 cats that I'll get and love each and every one of them. This relationship has everything I want and need in a relationship. Reiji is absolutely amazing to me. I'll still live a long life, I won't die over a man anymore or anything, but I wouldn't be able to get over Reiji. I wouldn't be able to move on from such a perfect relationship.” Adryn then smiled at Taemin with tears filling her eyes. “Reiji is it for me. No one and nothing could ever fill the void in my heart and soul like he can. I love Reiji with everything that I am and I couldn't forgive myself if I ever lost him.” Hearing all of this from Adryn, Taemin remained speechless. She doesn't usually express her feelings like that nor does she get emotional like she did not in front of people at least. Adryn then laughed weakly before she wiped away a few stray tears. 

“Adryn...”

“I'm sorry for dropping all of this onto you. It's just easy to talk to you for some reason.”

“I'm glad.” Taemin smiled at her. “But you need to tell all of this to Reiji. It would make him feel a lot better about everything involving your relationship.” 

“I actually already heard it all accidentally.” Taemin and Adryn turn to see Reiji looking sheepish in the doorway. 

“Reiji?” Adryn stood up from the seat she'd been seated on as Reiji came over to her.  
Instead of responding right away, Reiji wrapped his arms around Adryn and held her tightly.   
“I love you, Adryn.” Adryn smiled at Reiji's words and hugged him back. 

“I'm sorry that I couldn't say all of this to you directly, but I feel a lot better just getting it out.” 

“I'm thankful that I woke up in time to hear everything.” 

“Well, I'm going to head back to Eclipse.” Taemin awkwardly muttered as he watched the two separate from each other, embarrassed. 

“Thank you for listening to me.” Adryn smiled at her friend. Taemin returned her smile. 

“It's what brothers are for.” With that, Taemin was gone. 

“I love you, Reiji.” Adryn finally said after a moment of silence. 

“I know that and I'll never doubt that. I know your feelings are true toward me.” Reiji and Adryn looked at each other and instantly moved to kiss each other. They both kissed for a moment before separating. “You know, you might get sick now.” 

“It's worth it,” Adryn smirked at Reiji, who smiled at her back.

“I actually feel a lot better today. I don't even really sound all that bad.” 

“You do still sound a bit sick, but all that sleeping must have helped you heal faster.” 

“Maybe.” Reiji shrugged simply before heading to the cupboards to find some food. Reiji began to make some food for himself and Adryn. 

“I wonder, where is the rest of QUARTET NIGHT?” 

“I heard nothing from their rooms as I passed by them, so I'm not sure.” 

“Well, either way, I'm glad to get some alone time with you. I want to spend as much time with you as possible before you leave.” 

“Oh, right, I was meaning to tell you, I got a text last night stating that once I'm better, we can reveal our relationship to the world.” 

“Oh... That makes me nervous.” 

“How come?”

“I don't want anyone or anything to be hurt by negative fans.” 

“I see. Well, I'm not worried. I know we have great fans that will accept us.” 

“It's cute that you're so positive about our fans,” Adryn muttered, causing Reiji to laugh a bit. 

“Why do you think so negatively about them?” 

“I'm just not always sure of other people. Especially when I don't know them personally.” 

“I see, I see.” Reiji nodded his head and went back to cooking. Everything was quiet, with Adryn just watching him until she spoke out loud suddenly. 

“You look pretty hot while cooking,” Adryn spoke up, causing both her and Reiji to pause. Adryn then covered her face with her hands and muttered to herself how she meant to not say that out loud. Reiji just laughed a bit to calm her down. 

“Well, I feel pretty hot due to the heat.” Hearing Reiji's attempt at calming her down, Adryn peeked out from behind her hands to look at him. Reiji was a little red, and seeing this, Adryn began to worry about him. However, she just chose to hold off and allow him to finish cooking before she got out a thermometer and took his temperature. 

“You have a slight fever,” Adryn commented after she took the thermometer out of his mouth. “Let's eat first, then deal with it.” So, Reiji and Adryn began to eat and once they finished they sat there to talk. “Let's get you to bed.”

“I'm tired of sleeping. I want to do something productive.” Reiji pouted cutely, which brought a smile to Adryn's face. 

“Alright, then what do you want to do? We already finished our songs.” 

“Let's do some singing.”

“No.” 

“What? Why?” Reiji pouted again. 

“You need more rest.” 

“I'll only rest in bed if you are there and we are doing something.” 

“...Doing something?” Adryn looked at Reiji a little suspiciously. Reiji then laughed at this before responding. 

“Don't worry, it isn't sex that I'm after, yet. I just want to play a game or read something together.”

“'Yet'?” Adryn muttered before continuing. “Let's read something.” 

“Yes, yet. I want our first time together to come naturally and not something that was planned or obligated to happen or stuff like that. 

“I hope it'll happen when we're away from others. I'd be horrified if anyone heard us.” 

“I don't even want to hear you flirt, so hearing you doing anything else would be vile.” Came Camus' response as he walked into the room. 

“I'm sorry.” Camus just ignored Adryn's words and went to get food. Adryn sighed and got up from her seat with hers and Reiji's plates. Adryn cleaned up before getting fever reducer pills for Reiji. She then had Reiji take them, then she and Reiji began to head to his room. However, Adryn then steered Reiji away from his room and to another room down the hallway. The door was locked but Adryn unlocked it with her keys and then opened the door. 

“Oh wow,” Reiji muttered in surprise as he saw a library behind the door. 

“This is my personal library, so be wary of the books,” Adryn informed Reiji. 

“Why?” 

“There's some yaoi manga mixed in with the regular manga.” Reiji chose to not question why and just began to poke around and check out some of the books while being wary. After a little bit, Reiji sees a book that seemed interesting and read the back of it. He realized that the book was about unrequited love and heartbreak. He was curious about who wrote it, but all it said was “JMG”.

“Who wrong this book? Do you know?” 

“I did, back when I was in America.” Adryn simply stated as she looked at Reiji. 

“Why is the name 'JMG' then?” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn laughed which just confused him.

“Those are my real initials.” 

“Huh?” Reiji then looked between Adryn and the book as his head spun. “Is Adryn not your real name?” 

“Nope.” Adryn shook her head as she spoke. “I really had no intention of telling you about it though. My name is Adryn now. 'JMG' is dead.” 

“What?” 

“'JMG' are my real initials but that was my life back then. That girl wasn't great. She had so many issues personally and with other people, she just wanted to escape from it all. Once I joined my original band, I adopted 'Adryn' as my name. Just as Eclipse and Nova adopted their names in place of their birth names.” 

“'Eclipse' and 'Nova' are fake as well?” Reiji was shook to his core. “Is there anything else fake about you three?” 

“Nothing else is fake... other than my hair and my eyes since I wear colored contacts.” 

“Is there anything else you feel like sharing with me?” Reiji was hoping she would say no, but she didn't. 

“I have tattoos.” 

“Huh? How have I never seen them before?”

“I cover them up with makeup or bandages that are skin-colored.” Reiji was shook again. “Eclipse and Nova also have tattoos.” 

“Really?”

“I also have my nose pierced, but I don't wear it anymore. I have other body piercings too.” 

“What?” Adryn just laughed at Reiji's surprise and confusion. “What are your tattoos and piercings?” 

“Well, Eclipse has a full back piece that is angel wings that are silver/gray. There is an eclipse going down her spine. She also has a white tiger head with one eye being ice blue and the other being lavender with angel wings that are dark gray around it on her thigh.” Adryn simply stated. “Nova has a blue multicolored supernova on her back and she actually has her belly button pierced.” Adryn then got to herself. “I have a blue butterfly on my back with blue swirls around it and a few other things that I can't explain. My other tattoo is an emerald on my right hip. My belly button is pierced along with two piercings on my lower back where my back dimples are.” Adryn then lifted her shirt a bit to show him the piercings and tattoos. 

“...What?” Reiji was shook to his core. 

“What do you think about everything I just told you?” To Adryn's question, Reiji remained quiet for a few minutes. Reiji not saying anything began to worry Adryn. Reiji noticed this and spoke up finally. 

“I don't dislike them, don't worry. I just... am a little shocked. I wasn't expecting this from you three.” Reiji then thought about it for a moment before asking something. “What about Shiori?”

“I'm not sure actually.” 

“You know, I think I like that you have piercings and tattoos. It's... oddly attractive.” To Reiji's admission, Adryn laughed. 

“That's good because I've been told horrible things about it before.” 

“Can I see the ones on your back again?” 

“Sure?” Adryn then turned around and showed him her back piercings. Reiji was curious though so looking wasn't enough, so Reiji reached out and poked one of them. Adryn instantly let out a little yelp and then hid her face in her hands. Reiji was surprised and looked at Adryn's face, well what he could see and it was completely red. 

“Are you alright?” Adryn just nodded her head, she didn't trust her voice at that moment. Adryn just moved away from Reiji as he moved toward her, worrying the man. “Are you sure you're alright?” 

“It's alright...” Adryn muttered. “I just haven't had anyone touch that before. It gave me... a feeling...”

“A feeling? What kind of feeling?” Adryn just shook her head, no. Reiji smiled, starting to understand things. Reiji moved to the front of Adryn and kissed her hands. Adryn tried to pull away, but as she did Reiji pulled her hands away from her face. Reiji was surprised to see that Adryn's face was still super red. “Are you alright?” 

“You touching that piercing made me feel a type of way.” 

“Oh? A sexual type of way?” Adryn flinched from embarrassment but Reiji kept a hold of her hands. Reiji then smirked and released her hands, only to reach around her and poke both piercings with his hands. Adryn yelped once more and went even redder than before. “I like to see you go red because of me.” 

“Stop teasing me. Especially when we can't do anything because you're sick.” 

“We can't do anything sexual, yes, but we can go a bit further than just an innocent kiss if you want to risk getting sick.” 

“I'm willing to risk it...” Hearing Adryn's response, Reiji instantly moved. He pulled her against him and brought her face to his, pressing his lips against hers. Their lips moved against the others' for a bit before Reiji began to slide his tongue into Adryn's mouth gently. The two began to full-on make out as Reiji backed Adryn up against a bookshelf. He put his hands on her hips and pulled them against him, making her feel just what she was doing to him. 

Needing air, the two then pulled their faces apart just enough to breathe. Adryn then started to chuckle, which made Reiji smirk at her. 

“What's so funny?” 

“I never thought today would go with me against a bookshelf getting all hot with you.” 

“It's a good development though, right?” 

“Of course.” Adryn then wrapped her arms around Reiji and pulled him to her to begin kissing him once more. Their tongues just began to dance around in their mouths when there was a knock at the door. The couple paused immediately and pulled apart. Adryn sighed and left Reiji's side to go and answer the door as he got himself under control. Adryn then opened the door and saw Eclipse standing there. “Oh, it's you. What's up?”

“What were you doing? Have you not checked your phone?” Eclipse asked ignoring the slightly annoyed look on Adryn's face. 

“We were... busy.” 

“Busy?” Eclipse studies Adryn's face, seeing her all flushed and her lips a bit swollen. Eclipse instantly realized she'd interrupted something. “I'm sorry for interrupting, but it's about Nova. She's on her way back home.”

“What?”

“Nova chose to come home as a test run, to see if she can remain stable while near you. Plus she wants to be here for my wedding.” 

“How do you feel about this, Adryn?” Reiji asked, approaching his lover and her best friend. He'd gotten himself all calmed down. 

“It's sudden.” Adryn simply responded as she pulled out her phone. She noticed that there was a text from Daichi telling Adryn about the Nova situation and that he hopes everything goes well. He then also stated that once Reiji was better, they were revealing their relationship in a special way. Adryn then showed Reiji the texts.

“That sounds great!” Reiji seemed genuinely excited about this, while Adryn just smiled at him. 

“Well... I'm going to leave you two alone now...” Eclipse then just closed the door and walked away from them. Instantly, Adryn and Reiji began to laugh with each other. 

“Well, our moment was ruined, but we should probably be doing things in hidden rooms in the mansion anyway, so we stop being interrupted by people.”

“We can also do things at my place once I go back home,” Reiji told Adryn with a smile on his face. 

“Right. Things would go a lot better if we were all alone somewhere.” Reiji then nodded his head before pulling Adryn to him to kiss her again. 

“I'm glad we could at least share some moments alone.” 

“I'm glad too, it was fun.” 

“There's more fun to come,” Reiji responded as he winked at her, causing Adryn to blush again. 

“You need to chill with the flirting because I'm going to go crazy soon.” Reiji laughed at this before responding honestly. 

“I've already gone past the going crazy part.” 

“You've got good control then.” 

“You'd be surprised by my lack of control because it's taking everything in me right now to not push you against the table and take you right here and now.” Adryn blushed deeply to Reiji's words and looked away from him. 

“I'm... not against that...” Adryn honestly admitted. This brought a smile out of Reiji. 

“Hearing that makes it even harder to not do.”

“I'm sorry.” Adryn laughed nervously as she still avoided looking at him. Reiji just reached out and pulled her face to face him so she could see the hunger in his eyes, which caused her to blush even deeper. 

“I love you too much for our first time to be on a table in a room full of books,” Reiji stated with a soft smile on his face. Adryn just nodded her head before speaking to Reiji. 

“I love you deeply. I'm willing to wait for the right time.” 

“I agree. I know the time will be right eventually.” Reiji chuckled, making Adryn laugh as well. The two then kissed and decided to head to Reiji's room to hang out in bed. They of course ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. It was a peaceful sleep making them both feel comfortable and safe.


	23. Return

Reiji wakes up suddenly a few hours later and realizes that his arms are empty. So, Reiji looked around in confusion and realized that his room was dark. 

“Adryn?” Reiji got no response, so he checked his phone to see if there were any messages, only to see that he indeed had one from Adryn. Adryn had texted to tell him that she woke up, was hungry, and went to go get some food. Reiji decided to head to the kitchen and as he walked in, he saw a laughing Adryn and an annoyed Ranmaru. “What's going on?” Reiji asked the two as they didn't notice him right away. 

“Just teasing Maru.” Adryn simply responded with a laugh.

“Stop calling me that.” Ranmaru instantly stated. 

“No, it's adorable and funny to see you get all flustered over it.” Adryn was clearly teasing Ranmaru, who didn't like it one bit. 

“What is happening here? Am I still asleep?” Reiji muttered to himself, but Adryn heard it and instantly got worried for him.

“Are you alright? Still feeling sick?” 

“I don't actually know right now to be honest.” Hearing this, Adryn stood up from her seat and headed to Reiji. She felt his forehead and declared that he didn't feel hot or anything. “Do you still love me?”

“What? Of course I do, idiot.” Adryn chuckled in response but was actually worried still. Reiji just laughed in response before pulling Adryn to him to kiss her right in front of Ranmaru. 

“Don't do that in front of me,” Ranmaru grumbled as he looked away. 

“Sorry, Ran-Ran, but I needed to verify that Adryn is still mine. Especially since she was calling you 'Maru' and laughing because of you.”

“Adryn isn't as bad as she could be, so yeah...” Ranmaru trailed off, clearly not wanting to fully compliment Adryn or state anything unnecessary. 

“Thank you?” Adryn responded, questioningly. 

“I'm feeling a lot better, going back to you worrying about me,” Reiji spoke up suddenly, finally answering the question Adryn had asked a bit ago. 

“I'll tell Daichi before bed and have them move up our plans to reveal our relationship.”

“Are you ready for that?” 

“Yeah, I want everyone to know that I'm dating you and that I love you.” 

“Good, I feel the same.” Reiji and Adryn then hugged, irritating the other man in the room once more. 

“You two don't need to always be all over each other,” Ranmaru grumbled as he left the room. Adryn and Reiji parted and Adryn frowned at him.

“I don't think we're all over each other, at least not as much as Eclipse and Taemin are sometimes.” Reiji just had to laugh at Adryn's comment. 

“I'd gladly be all over you all the time,” Reiji told Adryn, smirking at her. Adryn laughed and blushed slightly. 

“I'd be alright with that.” Reiji and Adryn shared a kiss before breaking apart to go do their own things. Adryn went to go get a drink while Reiji went to get something to snack on. 

The rest of that day went on normally as it could. Nothing really went on and everyone in the mansion went about their daily lives. Once night fell, Adryn decided she wanted to sleep with Reiji in his bed that night. So once Adryn was ready for bed, she texted Daichi about Reiji's health and then headed into Reiji's room. Reiji was already in bed and ready to sleep. 

“I see that you sleep with the beanie I gave you,” Reiji commented as Adryn climbed into his bed with him. 

“Of course. If I sleep with my wig on too much it'll get all messed up.” Adryn simply stated with a smile. “Besides, I like having something you gave me with me while I sleep.” Reiji smiled at Adryn's words and opened his arms for Adryn to get all snuggled up with him. Adryn smiled as she laid down in his arms. They didn't go right to sleep though. “I texted Daichi, I'll probably hear from him in the morning. He'll probably tell us how we'll reveal our relationship.”

“I hope it'll be something not too public. I don't want it to be an interview or anything with too many people. I don't want our relationship to be some type of showpiece.” 

“I agree. Daichi wouldn't allow me to just become some type of showpiece for the fans, he'll make sure that our relationship comes out in the best way possible.” 

“I sure hope so, because while I'm a bit worried about it, I'm excited to be able to show the world how much I love you.” Reiji then kissed Adryn's forehead and she snuggled closer to him. 

“I'm happy to be touched by you. I was a bit touch starved for a little while.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I was used to not being touched by anyone for so long that I wanted any type of physical contact with another person. Even though I also didn't want to be touched all at the same time.” 

“Well, I'll touch you whenever and however you want me to.” Hearing this from Reiji, Adryn blushed. 

“You shouldn't be able to say that stuff with a straight face like that.” 

“Well, sometimes I have no shame.” Adryn just laughed at this and shook her head.

“I love you, you know?” 

“Want some touches now?” Reiji's tone was a bit suggestive, but Adryn just laughed.

“Shut up.” Adryn then moved up to kiss him before snuggling back into his arms. 

“I love you so much, Adryn,” Reiji muttered as sleepiness finally began to set in with him. Adryn then yawned and got a bit closer to Reiji before they both drifted off to sleep. 

The next day, Adryn woke up to her phone going off. Reiji reached over, having been woken up by it as well, and turned off the alarm before Adryn could. As Reiji looked at Adryn's phone, he saw a message from Daichi on there. 

“You have a text,” Reiji muttered as he and Adryn both sat up. Adryn put her glasses on and took the phone from Reiji. She then unlocked it in front of him, with Reiji accidentally noticing that the 4 digit passcode was his birthday. This made Reiji instantly smile. 

“Daichi told me that we'll perform one of our songs together, whichever one we want. We'll do it in front of fans. He'll give more details later though.” Adryn frowned as she read it. She wasn't sure how she wanted their relationship to come out, but she wasn't sure if that's how she wanted it to go either. “I'm not too sure about this...”

“I'm not either, but we probably shouldn't argue.” 

“True.” Adryn then texted back telling Daichi that was okay, but when was this going to happen? After a few moments, he responded telling her that it would happen a week from that day. They would have plenty of time to practice their song of choice and he'd send over the dance part whenever they told him which song they'd do. Daichi also states that Nova will be returning that day and they should celebrate her arrival to make her feel welcome again. 

“Are you alright with that?” Reiji asked, reading Adryn's texts as they came in with her. 

“I guess so.” 

“I wonder how it's going to go. I hope this isn't rushed or anything, making things go badly again with Nova.” 

“Yeah... Well, we should get ready for the day and go down to tell the others. Hopefully, I don't have to search for anyone.” Adryn didn't sound too happy about things, but she climbed out of bed anyway. Reiji followed suit and the two parted ways, Adryn heading to her room while Reiji remained in his. They got ready for the day and met up outside their rooms before heading down to the kitchen. Just as Adryn hoped, they were all in the kitchen. Ranmaru, Camus, and Ai were all at the table talking, while Shiori, Taemin, and Eclipse were at the counter chatting. They were all eating already, but eating their own things. 

“Morning,” Eclipse spoke up as she noticed Reiji and Adryn enter the kitchen. 

“Hey. So I was just told by your dad that Nova is coming home today and that we should have a party.” 

“I got that text too and I already have ideas for the party.” 

“How do you feel about Nova's return?” 

“I have to admit, I'm worried about how things will go, but I'm also relieved that she's coming home.” 

“Maru, how do you feel about your song partner returning?” Adryn looked to Ranmaru, who instantly frowned at the name. 

“I don't really care either way, but I'm a little relieved that we can record the songs together now rather than the songs being recorded individually and then put together.”

“Yeah, we all can take turns in the recording room. It's in the basement with the dungeon.”   
“'Dungeon'?” Camus, Ranmaru, and Shiori all asked. Adryn noticed as she laughed, that Ai didn't question it. 

“Ai, do you already know about the dungeon?” 

“I saw it already, yes.” Ai simply stated making Adryn confused. 

“I never showed you how to get there though?” Ai didn't respond to Adryn's confusion. 

“How come I never knew about the dungeon?” Shiori asked, a little upset that she was never told about it. 

“You never asked.”

“I didn't know I needed to ask about a dungeon!” To this, Adryn just laughed. 

“How does it feel to be locked up in the dungeon anyway?” Reiji suddenly wondered out loud. 

“Want to try it out? I have the key on me at all times, so it's safe.” Adryn smiled at the pure curiosity in Reiji's eyes. 

“No one needs to know about your 'activities',” Camus stated from his seat. Adryn blushed instantly and Reiji laughed. 

“I didn't mean it in a sexual way, but now I do have an idea,” Reiji said that mostly to just annoy Camus, which it did.

“No one needs to think about you sexually.” Reiji just laughed, while Adryn nodded her head.

“He's right. No one wants or needs to think about that.” Adryn commented, a bit teasingly. 

“You're so mean!” Reiji pouted instantly, turning his head away from Adryn. Adryn just patted his shoulder. 

“You should have known that by now.” Reiji then fake cried causing Adryn to kiss his cheek. “Stop being a child.”

“Uh, you know we're all still here, right?” Eclipse spoke up as everyone was uncomfortably watching Reiji and Adryn interact. 

“Oh, sorry...” Adryn muttered as she blushed. Reiji just laughed though before responding. 

“You'll be seeing a lot more of us being all lovey-dovey because we're  
coming out with our relationship next week!” Reiji proudly stated. 

“We'll be performing a song of ours in front of fans,” Adryn explained when Reiji gave them not details. 

“Well, good luck.” Eclipse tells her friend with a smile on her face. “We should plan Nova's party after breakfast, alright?” 

“Alright.” With that, Adryn and Reiji went to grab some food. They ate quickly, with Reiji eating mostly a normal amount again. Once they were done, Eclipse and Adryn broke away from the others to go plan Nova's party. They headed to a living room to talk about it. 

There in the living room, Eclipse and Adryn decided that they would do something simple. Reiji would cook the food, not that he knew it yet. There would be no alcohol, due to the medications that Adryn, Eclipse, and Nova are all on. There will be plenty of other drinks though. No streamers or anything too crazy because Nova wouldn't like things being blown out of proportion. It was also decided that Eclipse would meet up with Nova and get her from the airport with Taemin once she arrived.

“Reiji and I won't be all lovey around each other, for Nova's sake,” Adryn spoke up sounding a little sad about it. 

“You can't pretend to not be dating though. You need to be yourselves or Nova will feel bad.” Eclipse spoke up, making Adryn realize she was right. 

“Alright, we'll just be our normal selves then.” Adryn was a little nervous about it, and it must have shown on her face. 

“Everything will go alright. Nova is in a better place now and things will go well.” 

“You're right.” With that, Adryn and Eclipse went back to the kitchen because they heard their lovers chatting with each other. As soon as the women walked into the room, Taemin and Reiji stopped talking. This made Adryn and Eclipse suspicious. 

“What were you talking about?” Eclipse asked her lover who just shrugged. 

“It's a secret,” Taemin responded with a smile. Eclipse made her way to him and sat down next to him, while Adryn made her way to Reiji and hugged him. 

“Is something wrong?” Reiji asked as he looked at Adryn. 

“No, I just wanted to hug you.” Adryn simply stated to Reiji. “We should head to the recording room to start working on figuring out what song we want to perform.” Reiji just nodded his head, so Adryn backed off of him and they headed down to the basement. Reiji instantly walked into the dungeon area to check it out better. Reiji walked into the only cell and saw that there were chains with cuffs on the wall. 

“I wonder if I'd even enjoy being locked up...” Reiji muttered mostly to himself. 

“You shouldn't mess around in the dungeon. It's haunted.” Adryn spoke up simply as she walked past the cell, startling Reiji with her words. 

“Huh?” Reiji instantly backed out of the cell and followed Adryn to the recording room. “How is the dungeon haunted?” 

“I spent a lot of days down here in that cell. All my dark energy bled into the walls.” 

“We should rewrite those dark and sad memories with good and positive ones. After recording stuff, we should mess around down here.”

“Hmm... No.” 

“Are you alright?” Reiji could tell something was off with Adryn now. 

“I just don't think I'm ready to mess around where I had the worst mental breakdown of my life.” 

“What was the breakdown about?” Reiji's question made Adryn pause for a moment. 

“Well... After the breakup with Nova, I had a hard time with it. For the longest time, I thought Nova was my true love so losing her was the hardest thing I'd ever experienced.” 

“I'm sorry.” 

“Everything worked out in the end, so it's alright. I ended up with who I'm meant to be with.” 

“You're right. I'm who you're meant to be with.” Reiji spoke with a smile. The two then shared a kiss before getting to work. 

After a few hours of working and deciding on a song, Adryn got a text from Eclipse. This text stated that Nova's plane just landed and that she and Taemin were going to get Nova. Adryn responded stating that they'd get to work on getting the party ready then. Adryn then told Reiji about it and they headed up to the kitchen. 

Reiji began to cook the food he chose for the party after being told that he was to cook for the party. Adryn began to collect drinks that were in the pantry. That was when Shiori walked in.

“Can I help with anything?” Shiori asked as she looked to Adryn who had an armful of bottles of drinks. 

“Uh, can you go wait in the entrance hall and let us know when Nova arrives with Eclipse and Taemin?” Adryn responded to the woman. Shiori nodded her head and hurried off to the entrance hall to do her job. Once Adryn collected all of the drinks she thought they would need, she went off in search of Ranmaru, Camus, and Ai. Adryn had found them in their rooms, and thankfully they put up no fight and just went with Adryn to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, the guys just sat down in their spots at the table. 

“Are you going to drive Nova crazy again?” Camus suddenly spoke up to Adryn as she sat down. 

“I am not going to on purpose, just like I never did on purpose in the first place.” 

“Can your group even recover from this tear that you have now?” 

“They'll be even stronger together because of this issue. They can and will overcome this.” Reiji butted in from where he was cooking. 

“Your way of thinking is naive,” Ai told the man. 

“Reiji is telling the truth.” Adryn declared instantly. “We'll be alright. We'll move past this and be a better group. No one has any right to write us off until it's all actually over. Just know, we'll be putting up a fight to remain together!” 

“I'm surprised to see this kind of resolve from you,” Ranmaru commented simply as he smirked at Adryn. Adryn frowned though. 

“Did you think I'm just going to let my group die out without even making it big first?”

“With how you don't get along, it wouldn't be surprising if you all gave up and moved onto other groups,” Ai told Adryn, not meaning to be harsh, but this annoyed Adryn. 

“PURGATORY will be even bigger and more popular than QUARTET NIGHT ever could be!” With those words from Adryn, she walked out of the room in a huff. Reiji smiled at Adryn's declaration, but the other 3 took it as a threat and frowned. Adryn headed right to the entrance hall and surprised Shiori by storming in. “You can go back to the kitchen. I'll wait for them now. Go help Reiji with the food or something.” 

“Alright...” Shiori got up from the bench she was on, before pausing and turning to Adryn. “I honestly hope that everything will be going well for all of us. I don't want to lose our group.” 

“Our group won't be disappearing anytime soon.” 

“Good.” Shiori then headed to the kitchen, while Adryn sat down on the bench. 

“It might take some time, but I'll make sure that purgatory becomes big and popular, with Nova in it,” Adryn muttered to herself right before she heard a car begin to pull up in the driveway. Adryn hurried out the door to greet the people who'd arrived. The car came to a stop and Eclipse, Taemin and then Nova climbed out of it. Adryn and Nova walk to each other and just stare into each other's eyes. Instantly, Adryn and Nova threw themselves at each other into a hug and began to cry. 

“I'm so sorry for everything that I did when I wasn't on my medications! I have no plans on messing anything up anymore!” Nova cried out as she held onto Adryn tightly. “I heard about how you and Reiji are together officially, I'm so happy for you. I know how much you love Reiji!” 

“I'm glad you're back. We can all get to our new normal now.” 

“I hope I'll be able to stay for a while and perform the songs with Ranmaru like it was originally planned. I hope I can help our group become more popular.” 

“We'll become popular together, as a family that we've been for a while now.” 

“Yeah, alright.” Nova and Adryn then broke apart and began to wipe their own tears away. They then headed inside, with Taemin carrying the one bag that Nova had brought with her. Taemin headed to Nova's room with the bag while everyone else went into the kitchen. 

“Welcome back!” Reiji called out to Nova happily. The others, Ranmaru, Camus, Ai, and Shiori all said their own 'welcome back' as well. “I'm glad to see you looking healthy.” Reiji had a smile on his face, causing Nova to frown. 

“Reiji, thank you and I'm so sorry for my words and actions before.” Nova was looking remorseful, but Reiji just continued to smile at her. 

“It's alright. Everything happened for a reason and things are all alright now.” Nova just smiled in response to Reiji's words, before going to Ranmaru.

“I apologize for bailing on you before, but hopefully I'll be able to do all the songs that you wrote without me. Also, I hopefully will be staying here permanently, but just in case I can't, we should work on our songs after the party and after I get all settled in again.”

“Alright.” Ranmaru agreed with a nod of his head. Nova smiled at him and then went to her usual seat and sat down. She and Shiori then started chatting while Adryn made her way to Reiji. 

“You know, I sent Shiori in here to help you,” Adryn commented to Reiji, who chuckled in response.

“I don't need help. It's alright.” Reiji told his lover who just shook her head. 

“I want to help.” Adryn pouted, causing Reiji to smile at her. As Reiji asked Adryn to do a few things here and there, Nova watched them interact. Adryn mostly did little things because everything was pretty much done already. Adryn eventually ended up just standing there, giving Reiji moral support as he finished up the food. 

“I should teach you how to cook sometime, right?” 

“No.” Adryn laughed instantly. “Eclipse tried that and it ended badly.” 

“I can believe that.” Reiji agreed, laughing with Adryn. Nova just smiled from her seat as she watched them. 

“I'm glad that everything has been working out between you two,” Nova spoke to Reiji and Adryn who smiled  
at Nova in return. They then began to serve the food and Taemin entered the room just in time to get a plate of food. 

With that, the party began. Everyone was chatting with someone and just having fun together. The party lasted a few hours before everyone was all partied out. Camus and Shiori headed to their rooms, Ai went to the library, Eclipse and Taemin went to just hang out somewhere, Ranmaru and Nova went to the basement to get work done, and Reiji and Adryn cleaned up everything. Once they were done cleaning, they realized that it'd gotten pretty late. 

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Adryn asked Reiji as they walked to their rooms. 

“Of course, but let's sleep in your bed this time,” Reiji responded simply. 

“Why?”

“My bed sheets and blanket needs to be changed. I'm not sick anymore, for the most part, and I spent a lot of time in that bed being sick, so the bed has all those germs now.” 

“Alright, that's fine. I'll deal with your bed eventually, but you should just sleep with me every night anyway. At least until you leave.” To Adryn's comment, Reiji laughed out loud. “I'm serious. I want to spend every moment with you that's possible whether we're sleeping or awake until you leave.” 

“Alright. Sure.” Reiji wondered though, was Adryn feeling alright? She seemed to be taking this a little too far. “How are you feeling?” 

“Great actually, a little tired though.” Reiji just nodded his head as they walked the rest of their way to their rooms. Reiji then paused and went into his room to get ready, while Adryn did the same thing in her room. Once Reiji was done getting ready, he went to Adryn's door and knocked on it. After a second, Adryn opened the door and smiled at him. 

“Hey, Adryn? Why do you wear such short shorts to bed?” 

“I hate the feeling of pants and I don't want to wear a nightgown with you here because it'll bunch up and show everything underneath.”

“Is that so bad? I mean we're dating.” 

“I'm just not mentally prepared for that yet.” Reiji just nodded his head and let it go. They then climbed into bed and got all snuggled up together like usual. “I love you. So much that I'm a bit nervous that I'm going a bit far with it sometimes.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I'm worried because I want to spend all of my time with you. I'm aware that this isn't healthy to want to be around someone so much but I'm just so scared to lose you.” 

“You won't lose me, but I was a bit worried about you too.”

“I just want to be normal and not crazy like this...” 

“You're not crazy. You're in love, that can cause something like craziness.” 

“I'm terrified that I'm going to drive you away with my love.” 

“How can I show you that I'm not going anywhere,” Reiji asked this as he looked at the girl in his arms, who looked conflicted now. 

“I don't know, but your actions have always shown me this, I just can't ignore the darkness inside of me sometimes. I'm sorry about that.” 

“I'm just glad you're opening up to me more.” Reiji smiled at Adryn, who returned his smile. She then yawned and snuggled closer to Reiji. 

“I wanna sleep now.” 

“Same,” Reiji responded as he held her tighter. The two then began to drift off to sleep holding each other close.


	24. Finally

~Has Sexual Content Ahead~

The next morning, Adryn woke up to Reiji's hair in her face. Adryn smiled and closed her eyes to fall back to sleep, but then Reiji shifted a bit, indicating that he was actually awake. So, Adryn opened her eyes again and looked to see Reiji looking at her. Reiji smiled instantly and she returned the smile. 

“Good morning,” Reiji muttered in a sleep ridden voice. His voice was a bit husky and hearing it caused Adryn to blush. 

“Don't talk yet, you sound too attractive right now.” Adryn turned her face away from him as he chuckled. 

“I love you,” Reiji whispered in Adryn's ear, causing Adryn to giggle, which surprised her and caused her to blush deeper. “I think you're beautiful and I absolutely adore you.” Adryn then tried to pull away from Reiji, but he pulled her onto him, so she was straddling him. “Don't run away from me.” 

“I need to, or else things will get all hot and it's way too early for that.” Adryn looked away from Reiji, avoiding his smirking face. 

“I'll keep my hands to myself.” 

“Your voice and words are the problems right now.” To this, Reiji laughed. 

“I'm only being honest with you.” Adryn then turned to look back at Reiji and smiled down at him. 

“You might be being honest, but you don't have honest intentions with your words.” 

“I don't see that as an issue.” 

“Well of course not, you've got good control.” 

“You really think I have good control?” Reiji smirked at Adryn. 

“Well, yeah. We've gotten all hot before but stopped short a few times now. So...” Reiji just smiled at her in return before pulling her to him and rolling over. This caused Adryn to be pinned beneath Reiji. Adryn instantly blushed and looked away from Reiji. This gave him access to her ear to whisper into it some more. 

“I would love nothing more than to take you right now since we're finally in a bed. If you wanted me to, I'd lose control and let loose.” 

“I-I'm not too sure about that.” 

“Are you afraid of me?” 

“No! I'm scared of myself and my own reactions.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I haven't been active like this in so long that I'm not sure about how I'll react to sexual activities anymore.”

“I feel the same, but we can figure it out together.” 

“It isn't like I'm against that.” Adryn blushed but looked back to Reiji with confidence in her eyes. Reiji smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her, but instead of kissing, Adryn bit his lip and smirked at him. “I thought you were going to lose control and let loose on me.” 

“Are you challenging me?” To Reiji's question, Adryn just shrugged. 

“A simple kiss is nothing new to us.” 

“I love you so much, Adryn,” Reiji smirked at her, and she smiled back.

“I love you as well, but are we just going to talk or what?” Reiji just chuckled before making his move. Reiji began to kiss Adryn but instantly he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues rolled around each other's as their breathing began to get heavy. Reiji slipped his hand down to Adryn's waist and began to slide his hands up, bringing her shirt with his hand. Once the shirt was up far enough, they broke their kiss only long enough for Reiji to pull Adryn's shirt off and toss it somewhere behind him in the room. The two went right back to kissing, with Adryn's hands wandering this time. Adryn didn't go as slowly as Reiji did, because Adryn quickly pulled Reiji's shirt up and then over his head. 

“Are you eager to get me naked?” Reiji chuckled as he teased Adryn. 

“Yes, I am. I want to feel your skin against mine.” Adryn's honesty brought a smile to Reiji's face. He kept smiling as they returned to making out with each other. This time though, Reiji's hands began to wander again, but to Adryn's still covered breasts. Reiji began to massage her breasts through her bra, bringing out moans from Adryn and right into Reiji's mouth. Reiji smirked and then reached behind Adryn, causing her to arch up so he had access to her bra clasp. Soon enough, Adryn's bra was unhooked and then thrown somewhere in the room. Adryn instantly went to cover her chest, but Reiji stopped her. 

“You shouldn't hide anything from me.” Reiji's words caused Adryn to blush and turn her head. 

“I'm just a little cold, that's all.” 

“I'll just have to warm you up then.” Reiji then pulled Adryn's face back to his and gave her a simple kiss on the mouth, before beginning to move downward. Reiji kissed her chin, then just below her chin causing her to lift her head to give him access to her neck. Reiji then began to kiss down her neck, causing Adryn to gasp out. So, Reiji paused and kissed around a bit until he found the spot that made Adryn moan out. Reiji then smirked and bit down mostly gently. Adryn jolted as she moaned. She was surprised by this, but Reiji just smiled against her skin and continued to move down. Reiji left a trail of kisses until he reached her breasts. This is where Reiji paused and took in the sight he had in front of him, making Adryn blush deeply. 

“Don't just stare at them. It isn't like they are special or anything.” Adryn grumbled out. 

“They are special because they are attached to the woman that I absolutely adore.” Hearing Reiji's loving words, Adryn blushed deepened. She then gasped out when Reiji took one of her nipples into his mouth. As he played with one nipple in his mouth, he began to mess with the other one with his hand. This continued for a bit before he switched his mouth to the other one and hand to the one that was just in his mouth. Reiji then also realized that Adryn was trying her best to keep quiet and not many any sounds. Reiji just let Adryn be, she'd make noises when she was ready to again. So, Reiji just loved up the other nipple before he continued his journey down. 

Adryn got more and more tense as Reiji kissed his way further down, so Reiji went slowly. Once Reiji reached the waistband of her shorts, Reiji paused. He took notice of the little emerald on her hip and kissed it before looking up to Adryn. Adryn was looking anywhere but at him. 

“Are you alright?” Reiji asked a little concerned.

“I am completely and wholly embarrassed, but continue,” Adryn responded honestly. Reiji just smiled and nodded his head. Since he was down there, he was now able to see the belly button ring better. He noticed that it was an emerald-colored stone. Reiji couldn't help but smile at this. 

“You really do love me, don't you?” 

“Duh, you dummy.” Reiji laughed due to Adryn's comment. 

“Soon you won't be calling me a dummy.” 

“Shouldn't you be using your mouth for something other than yapping right now?” Reiji just laughed again and then pulled her shorts off carefully. Adryn was just left in her panties now, which were blue. 

“I was hoping you'd be wearing green,” Reiji commented as he pouted. 

“If I would have known we'd be doing this, I would have worn the green ones.” 

“Ah, I see.” Reiji laughed and then gently pulled off her panties. Adryn was completely naked now, causing her to blush so deeply that her whole body went pink. “Are you alright?” 

“I'm fine, but getting a bit shy so hurry up before my shy self kicks in.” Reiji nodded his head and began to kiss a line down to her womanhood as he gently parted her legs to make room for himself. Adryn put up no fight but he could feel she was getting a bit tense. Knowing that staring would only make Adryn shyer, Reiji goes right for her clit and began to lick it. 

Reiji's movements caused Adryn to jolt a bit before she started to moan due to his actions. As Reiji moves his tongue around, one of his hands moved up to her opening. He gently slid two of his fingers into her as he continued to play with her clit with his mouth. Reiji made a mental note of how wet Adryn was for him. Adryn's moans and groans were getting more intense and louder as Reiji sped up everything. Adryn begins to wiggle a bit as she begins to reach her climax. Adryn's hands were holding to her sheets tightly and with a cry of Reiji's name, Adryn finally reached her climax. Reiji slowly stopped his movements allowing her to enjoy her high. Reiji then slowly removed his fingers and got a taste of Adryn. 

“Hmm, pretty good,” Reiji muttered to himself, but was too loud and Adryn heard him. This caused her to panic slightly. 

“I didn't need to know that,” Adryn mumbled to Reiji as she blushed. 

“Sorry for saying that out loud, but it was the truth.” Reiji then kissed her womanhood gently and moved to go back up to meet Adryn and give her a kiss. 

“I want to do the same for you,” Adryn stated when she noticed that Reiji was just going to ignore his own needs. 

“You don't need to.” 

“I know, but I want to.” 

“Alright.” Reiji nodded his head and moved to kiss Adryn, but she grimaced due to where his mouth had just been. Reiji chuckled a bit, but Adryn then took him by surprise. Adryn shoved him onto his back, climbed onto him, and straddled him. She then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. That kiss then turned into her slipping her tongue into his mouth and beginning another make-out session. The two made out for a bit before Adryn pulled away abruptly. This cause Reiji to pout. “Why'd you do that?”

“I have to stop before I forget what I'm supposed to be doing.” Adryn's response caused Reiji to laugh a bit. He then just laid back and allowed Adryn to do whatever to him. He watched as Adryn looked him over, just thinking about what she wanted to do to him. While she did this, Reiji reached up and touched the mark on Adryn's neck from where he bit her. It wasn't too obvious but on her pale skin, he could see it well enough. Realizing there was a mark on her, Adryn smiled, seemingly also realizing what she wanted to do to Reiji. 

So, Adryn moved her mouth to his neck and began to kiss around until she found his spot before biting down at that spot. Reiji groaned as she bit him hard enough to leave a mark, but not enough to actually hurt. Adryn smiled hearing  
Reiji's groan. 

“I like hearing you make noises because of me,” Adryn commented happily. 

“I like making noises because of you,” Reiji responded with a smirk on his face. 

“Shut up.” Adryn laughed as she went back to his body. Adryn ran her hands over Reiji's chest and abs, only to comment on them. “You're going to get a flabby body one day if you keep eating all that fried chicken. I'll still love you and your body though.” 

“That's not romantic.” Reiji laughed, causing Adryn to laugh as well. 

“I'm simply being honest.” Adryn ignored Reiji's pout as she bent down to kiss his chest. She then moved down until she reached his sleep pants and noticed the bulge in them. Adryn tugged at his pants, causing Reiji to lift his hips in return. Adryn just pulled his pants and boxers off in one go, surprising Reiji. “I”m a bit too eager to get to this, plus I don't want to chicken out.” 

“You don't have to do this, you know?” Reiji wanted to give Adryn an out just in case she wasn't prepared for this, but he then realized that she probably didn't even hear him. Adryn was just looking at his now free cock. Seeing his lover just staring caused Reiji to blush and look away from her and himself. Reiji was beginning to feel a little embarrassed now that he was also completely naked. It was a rare feeling for him. 

“I'm surprised. I mean, I wasn't expecting you to be small, but you are bigger than I'd imagined.” Adryn's tone was neutral, which didn't help Reiji's nerves. 

“Thank you?” 

“Are you okay?” Adryn asked as she looked from his cock to his face which was tinted red. 

“I just haven't had someone just look at and study that before,” Reiji responded, as he finally looked back to Adryn. She laughed a bit, causing him to pout. 

“I'm sorry. I guess I should get to what I want to do.” Before Reiji can respond, Adryn reached out her hand and gently grabbed the base of his cock. She then bent forward and licked the tip of it, bringing out a small groan from Reiji. She then began to suck on the top before she brought a good bit of his cock into her mouth. She began to move up and down as she sucked, bringing forth many more groans and moans from Reiji. Adryn continues doing this until Reiji can feel himself about to cum. 

“Wait, I don't want to cum in your mouth, I want to cum onto you.” Reiji's raspy voice came out as he tried to not release into her mouth. Adryn pulled away and nodded her head. Reiji moved then so he was over her and began to rub himself as he kissed her with tongue, tasting himself in her mouth. He also could still taste her in his mouth and the two tasted combined, which didn't taste too bad. 

After a bit of him moving his hand over his cock, he had to separate from Adryn to groan out her name as he finally released onto her stomach. As Reiji came down from his high, he rolled off Adryn and laid down next to her. They both just laid there for a few moments to catch their breath. 

“I really need a shower now...” Adryn muttered out to herself. She touched the cum on her stomach and tasted it, not minding the taste at all. Reiji just wiped it off of her stomach and then onto her sheets beneath them. 

“You're fine now.” To Reiji's actions and words, Adryn laughed. Reiji then pulled her to him and they snuggled up to each other under the blankets. 

“I figured you were the cuddly type after sexual things.”

“I just want to hold you, that's all.” Adryn chuckled at Reiji's comment and then smiled at him. Eventually though, with their bodies coming down from the intense high, they drifted off to sleep together. 

A while later, Adryn and Reiji hear a knock at the door. At first, they don't react, but then when Adryn realizes that her door was unlocked, they panicked. Adryn and Reiji flew off the bed, with Reiji picking up their dirty clothes thrown all over the room. Adryn put on a robe and Reiji hid in the bathroom with their dirty clothes. Once everything seemed to be safe, Adryn opened her door. She then sighed at seeing who was there. 

“Oh, it's you,” Adryn mumbled as she saw Eclipse standing there. 

“Why haven't you and Reiji come down yet? It's lunchtime. You guys missed breakfast.” 

“W-We were busy.”

“Why are you in a robe? Where is Reiji and why is the bed a mess?” Eclipse knew enough to assume what went down, causing Adryn to panic again.

“We were busy!” Adryn practically yelled as she slammed the door in Eclipse's face and locked it. 

“You better have used protection!” Eclipse yelled through the door. Adryn blushed completely red at being caught as Reiji left the bathroom and allowed the dirty clothes to drop to the floor. Adryn just turned to Reiji and the two burst out into laughter.

“We got caught.” Adryn simply stated through her laughter. 

“At least it was just Eclipse, but you'll need to tell her that we didn't go all the way so she doesn't worry or anything.” 

“I'll let her know when I see her next. First though, we need showers.” 

“You can take one first.” Reiji couldn't go back to his room naked, so they would have to use her shower. 

“Let's take a shower together, as long as we get clean and not dirtier.”

“Alright.” Reiji laughed in response. The two then headed to the shower and got in, with Adryn slipping and nearly falling over. Reiji caught her and they both laughed about it. Despite them both totally being up for more sexual activities, they actually got clean in the shower. Once they were clean, they got out and got all dried off. “I'll need something to get to my room in. I can't just walk out wearing a towel.” 

“I think I have a robe... Hold on...” Adryn went through her bathroom before pulling out a new and clean robe. “Here, this will be fine.” 

“Thank you.” Reiji then put it on and then gave Adryn a kiss. The two smiled at each other before Reiji left her room and went to his own room. This allowed Adryn to get dressed and put her wig on and get all ready for the day. Once she was done, she left her room and nearly walked right into Nova, who was just standing outside her room. 

“Oh, good morning Nova.”

“It's the afternoon, but hello,” Nova responded with a smile on her face. 

“What's up?” 

“Can we talk about some things, in my room?” 

“Sure.”

“I heard Eclipse yelling about using protection, so I know that you and Reiji must have done something in your room.” 

“We didn't go all the way yet.” 

“It's not anyone's business what you and your boyfriend do.” Nova still had that smile on her face. With that though, Adryn and Nova went into Nova's room and sat down on her bed together. “I want to formally apologize for everything.” 

“You already did though.”

“I mean about John.” Hearing this caused Adryn to freeze.

“I'm so sorry about how I got John to go along with my plan to cause you pain. Most of all though, I'm sorry that I called him to come here and go to the club with the intention of hurting you that night too.”

“I understand that you weren't yourself then. You're better now, just like I am.” Adryn smiled at her, but Nova frowned. 

“I was so hurt over our breakup, I went insane.”

“I had my own breakdown and spent a lot of time in the dungeon trying to calm down.” 

“I feel terrible about everything that I caused.” 

“You shouldn't have done any of that, but it did end up with me falling right into Reiji's arms.”

“I'm happy that you and Reiji got together, but aren't you worried about how the fans are going to take you taking Reiji away from them?”

“I have faith that everything will go alright.” Hearing this from Adryn, Nova burst out into laughter. This shocked Adryn, but Nova quickly righted herself and apologized. 

“I just haven't ever heard you have faith in anything before. Reiji must really have changed you in a way that I never could.”

“I...”

“It's alright. I'll find my own lover one day.”

“I'll always be here for you, no matter what. We're family.” 

“I know. Thank you. It's the same for you too. No matter what.” Adryn smiled at Nova and then hugged her. 

“I should go get some food now.” 

“Alright, see you later.” With that, Adryn left Nova's room with the intention of heading to the kitchen. Adryn figured that Reiji would be going there sooner or later, so that's where Adryn planned to meet up with him again.


	25. Afterwards

Adryn made her way to the kitchen while thinking about the activities she and Reiji had just done. She tried hard to not blush as she thought about those things, but she couldn't help it. Thankfully though, she was able to get her face under control by the time she actually made it to the kitchen. Once she walked in, she was happy she was no longer blushing, because there sat Eclipse and Taemin. 

“Oh, hey there Adryn. How did everything go with Reiji and with how 'busy' you were?” Eclipse smirked at her friend, but Adryn frowned. 

“No sex happened, alright? Let's not get into it.” Adryn shut down the conversation immediately. Eclipse understood and nodded her head, letting the topic go. So, Adryn went and got some cereal just as Reiji walked into the kitchen. 

“Good afternoon, Taemin, Eclipse.” Reiji greeted the two before heading to Adryn and giving her a kiss on her forehead. Adryn smiled and watched as Reiji went to get his own food. 

“It's lunchtime now you two, get something good to eat,” Eclipse spoke up when she saw that they weren't really getting lunch foods. 

“Cereal is good enough for me,” Adryn commented as she began to eat. Reiji decided to make himself a sandwich then. Once it was made he sat down next to Adryn. Adryn had started eating first, so she got done first as well. This prompted Eclipse to begin talking with Adryn. 

“What are your plans for the day?” Eclipse asked Adryn as she turned to look at her friend. 

“Hmm... I want to work on one of my songs, but also I don't want to.” 

“What do you mean?”

“It's not important.” Adryn shook her head, not really wanting to talk about it. 

“I'd like to practice our song that we're going to perform,” Reiji said as he entered the conversation. Adryn thought about it for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. 

“Alright.” Adryn waited for Reiji to finish up eating, and once he did the two headed to her music room. This left Taemin and Eclipse in the room. Eclipse had been silent for a bit now, which worried Taemin. 

“Are you alright?” Taemin asked Eclipse, causing her to snap back into reality. She'd zoned out apparently. 

“I'm fine, just thinking about how much Adryn has grown,” Eclipse responded simply as she turned to look at her lover. 

“Adryn just needed some time and the right person to come along.” 

“I agree.” With that, Eclipse stood up and gave Taemin a kiss before heading out. Eclipse went in search of Ai so they could deal with their songs. 

Meanwhile, Reiji and Adryn were practicing their son. They were given a video to follow along with for their dancing part of the performance. At first, Adryn had trouble following along, but then Reiji helped her better understand it and move better to it. They were taking this quite seriously until they'd accidentally bump into each other. If they did that, they'd pause and laugh a bit before getting back to work. They were just overall having a good time together though. Eventually though, they figured out the dance and decided to take a break. They decided to sit on the piano bench together. 

“We're getting pretty good,” Reiji commented as they rested on the bench. 

“Yeah... But the fact that we only have a week until we have to perform is getting me a little nervous.” Adryn admitted to Reiji. 

“Don't worry. You'll do just fine and everything afterward will go great.” Adryn nodded her head to Reiji's words, but she couldn't shake the bad feeling that she had within her. She chose to not tell Reiji though, she didn't want to bring him down or worry him. As Adryn was deep in thought, Reiji leaned against her, surprising her. “I love you.” 

“I love you too... But I wonder if we're going too fast.” 

“Do you regret what we did this morning?” 

“No. I don't regret it or anything we've done together.” 

“Then what do you mean?” 

“We've only been a couple for a little over a month or so but we've already gotten pretty serious.” Adryn then looked to Reiji, who was still leaning against her. “We're going as fast as Eclipse and Taemin went. I don't want our relationship to be run out before it ever gets a chance to become a long and fulfilling relationship.” 

“It won't be like that. We'll be together for so long that you'll get sick of me.” Reiji smiled at Adryn, causing her to smile as well. 

“I'll never get tired of you, maybe annoyed with you, but never tired of you.” Adryn then looked to the window across the room. “If a relationship is full of rainbows and happiness all the time, with no fighting or arguments then it isn't a good relationship. You need to disagree sometimes no matter if you're meant to be or not. No one can get along forever all of the time.” 

“Fighting in a relationship is normal, but too much could kill it.” 

“Yeah.”

“I wonder...” Reiji muttered as he sat back up. 

“Hmm?” 

“What type of relationship did your parents have?” Reiji's question threw Adryn off causing her to just look at him for a moment. 

“Um... Why do you want to know that?” Reiji shrugged before responding. 

“I just wonder if you grew up under different circumstances than me.” 

“Well... My parents were together until they died. My mother was 16 and my dad was 23 when they got together. They ended up passing away just months from each other. They literately spent their entire lives together.” 

“Oh wow, that's amazing. Not the dying part, but how they spent their lives together. Do you have any siblings or any other family?” 

“I had a brother, but I lost contact with him when I moved to Korea. I just didn't want to be connected with anyone from America, other than Eclipse and Nova of course. My brother was 12 years older than me anyway, so we were never all that close, to begin with.” Reiji just nodded his head to Adryn's words. When he didn't offer up any of his own life, Adryn decided to ask about it. “What about your family life?” 

“I don't have a father, but I do have a mother and sister who I'm fairly close to. I help out in the bento shop every now and then that my family runs.” Reiji watched as Adryn nodded her head, clearly not wanting to say anything wrong about what he'd said. “I never needed a father, my mother supported me through a lot.” 

“I wonder if my parents would have supported me. I'm not really sure about it. They were always pressuring me to get a job and stuff. I know that they loved me, and were just worried about me though so it was alright for the most part.” Adryn then looked to Reiji. “I'm honestly glad that they are gone. It would have been difficult to leave them behind if they were alive.”

“Did you leave everything behind?” 

“No, I brought my cats who later died of natural causes in Korea.”

“You do seem like a cat person.” 

“I honestly planned to become a crazy old lady with 90 cats. I didn't see my life going anywhere for a little while there.”

“Why not?”

“I was an incredibly shy child and as I grew older, I got worse and worse. It was to the point where I couldn't even interact with other people. I couldn't get a job or a lover. Neither of those were even possibilities at one point. However, once I got into my bed I got a bit better, but still, I had a hard time performing in front of others without some type of help.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I was on heavy anti-anxiety pills and it would effectively numb me to everything.” Hearing this from Adryn shocked Reiji a little bit. 

“Do you still take those pills?” 

“No, I have other methods of fighting my intense anxiety.” 

“How do you handle the bad anxiety then?”

“I'm on a pill for it that I take every day. It is the morning pill while my bipolar pill is the night one.” Adryn paused for a moment before continuing. “I just try my best to remain calm and face my fears. I think about what would happen if I couldn't face my fears, all the people I'd let down, and then for the most part I can get over my anxiety. Do you ever get nervous to be in front of all your fans?”

“No.” Reiji shook his head as he spoke, causing Adryn to pout.

“You're so great and amazing for not getting nervous.” Reiji laughed at Adryn's words. 

“I've just been in his business for so long that it's all natural to me now.” 

“I wonder how long we'll be in the idol business now. After all, you're getting up there in age and I'm not too popular.” 

“Hey! I'm not even 30 yet! So I'm not 'getting up there in age'!” Reiji was clearly offended, but Adryn just laughed at him. 

“You know what I meant!” Adryn responded with a smile on her face. Reiji smiled back at her before talking. 

“No matter what, I'll be an idol for as long as I can. So I better take care of myself.” 

“You really are going to get all flabby as I said before. If you just work at it though, you'll be alright. No matter what your weight or physical appearance, I'll love you.” 

“I feel the same about you.” 

“Really?” Adryn laughed as she pulled out her phone. She went through her photo gallery on her phone before landing on a picture. She then showed it to Reiji. He could tell that this girl was about 15 or so, she was a shorter girl but a bigger girl, probably around 200 pounds or so. She wore glasses. “This is me. Ugly, right? I was about 15 I think and after I don't need to be perfect anymore, I'll probably look like this again.” Adryn then put her phone away as she wondered something. “I wonder if the fans will notice me wearing a wig at our performance.” Adryn was clearly trying to move past her old self.

“First off, you were beautiful back then, but you're also beautiful now too,” Reiji stated, causing Adryn to look at him with a soft smile on her face. “Secondly, no one will care about your hair at our performance. They'll be too focused on us. They won't find out about your hair, and even if they did, they'd support you.” 

“You have no idea how mean girls can get when they are jealous, and trust me, they'll be a lot of jealous girls once our relationship comes out.” 

“They'll be jealous guys too.” 

“Probably not. PURGATORY's fan base is most girls. There are a few guys, but none that are really my fans. They are mostly Eclipse and Shiori's fans.” Reiji then bumped Adryn's shoulder with his own. 

“I'm a fan of yours.” 

“Thank you, Reiji.” Adryn and Reiji shared a kiss before he stood up and stretched. 

“We should get back to work.” Adryn just sighed and stood up as well. The two then went back to practicing their dancing for a little while longer, until Adryn got a text on her phone from Eclipse, summoning them to the kitchen for dinner, as it was almost dinner time. Reiji and Adryn decided to take showers first though, in their own rooms. After their showers, they got changed with Adryn putting on her shorter wig. They then met up outside their rooms. “You look cute,” Reiji commented bringing a smile to Adryn's face. 

“Thank you.” With that, they headed to the kitchen. Everyone was in the kitchen with Nova, Eclipse, Taemin, and Shiori cooking that night. Adryn and Reiji took their seats where they normally sat. 

“How is your relationship reveal performance going?” Eclipse asked as she looked at Reiji and Adryn.

“We've mostly got it down. We just need to start putting the lyrics and the dance together. We just worked on the dance today.” Adryn responded simply. 

“Can we come and watch you two?” Taemin asked motioned to himself and Eclipse. “You know, to help you face your fears? I know how you can get when it comes to performances sometimes.” 

“Alright, that's a good idea, since I'm starting to feel the nervousness of the whole situation.” 

“Why 2would you be nervous? Aren't you happy that your relationship is going to be out in the public?” It was a confused Ai who'd spoken up after Adryn. 

“Well, I'm always nervous before performing in front of anyone, but this is a huge deal and I'm freaking out internally a little bit more than usual.” To Adryn's response to Ai, Reiji took ahold of one of Adryn's hands. 

“It'll be alright. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I'll protect you.” 

“Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you.” 

“It's no problem. I'm happy to be able to be protective of you.” 

“You're too sweet.” 

“You're being disgusting again in front of all of us,” Camus grumbled instantly before Reiji could respond to his lover.

“It's my mansion, if I want to be all lovey with my lover then I will be.” Adryn stuck her tongue out at Camus, who just glared at her in response. 

“It's disgusting, as I said.” 

“Why do you have an icicle shoved up your ass all of the time?” Hearing this from Adryn, Shiori burst out into laughter. Camus glared harder and looked furious. 

“Hey now, everyone's friends here, we shouldn't fight.” Reiji tried to keep the peace, but it was too late. 

“I'm not friends with someone like that.” Camus snapped instantly. 

“What does that mean?” Adryn asked, getting a bit upset now. Eclipse was also getting upset, but Taemin shook his head at her. Adryn needed to deal with this herself. 

“You aren't a good person deep down.” 

“So, are you a good person deep down then?” Adryn asked simply.

“Some peasant wouldn't understand me.” 

“I might be a peasant, but at least I'm not a stuck up brat like you are.” 

“That's enough, both of you. For my sake, can't you two get along? When did this argument even start?” Reiji tried to plead with the two, to no avail. Camus just looked even more annoyed with the situation. 

“We should never have been messing with a group so unpopular in the first place. It might affect us. We shouldn't waste our time with a group that will go nowhere.” After hearing Camus's words, Adryn, Shiori, Nova, and Eclipse all froze. Anger was clearly building up in each of the girls, but Adryn was far more furious. 

“Adryn, he doesn't...” Reiji's words didn't reach the woman who was getting up from her seat. 

“I have to go before this situation goes too far,” Adryn told Reiji as she left the room. Reiji stood up to go after her, but Nova shoved past him. 

“Handle your friend, Reiji. I have Adryn.” Nova told Reiji as she ran out of the room after Adryn.

“None of this is a waste of time,” Reiji told Camus who just looked bored with the situation now. 

“You only feel that way because you got someone out of this.” With how Camus worded that, it actually ticked Reiji off. 

“When we went into this, we knew that they weren't a popular group. We are the ones who are supposed to help them grow. Not tear down someone who already has issues with such things.” 

“I'm not going to sugarcoat things for a little girl.” 

“You know what, I'm going to leave the room before I break your fucking face in,” Eclipse growled to Camus as she left the room before doing bodily harm to the man. 

“What you said isn't cool. You're being a dick. What for anyway? Are you jealous that your friend has someone and you don't or something?” Shiori snapped from her position at the still cooking food. 

“He isn't my friend, and why would I be jealous over some broken girl?” Camus asked simply. 

“I think you need to stop before you say something that you can't take back.” Reiji stepped in before anything could go any further. 

“Are you getting upset? If you are, why aren't you doing anything about it? You should really decide what is more important to you and go with it. Don't walk between both sides.”

“You are putting Reiji in a bad place, making him choose between his girlfriend and our group,” Ai spoke up, causing Camus to turn to look at him. 

“If Reiji chooses his little girlfriend over us, it'll be a huge insult to us. We should be more important than anything else. He said this wouldn't affect our work.” Reiji just shook his head at Camus' words. 

“I won't choose between Adryn and you all. That's not how the world works. I don't have to pick between anyone. I am free to have friends, work, and Adryn.” 

“You're naive and delusional.” 

“You need to calm down. This has gone too far. You need to figure out why you're so upset toward Adryn.” With that, Reiji went to leave the room. 

“You are the one who needs to figure out the situation before it's too late.” Camus' words were spoken as Reiji left the room and hurried down the hall. He eventually started to hear Eclipse and Nova talking to a still furious Adryn.

“If it wasn't my love for Reiji, I would have punched Camus.” Adryn practically growled to her friends. 

“You should have gotten in so much trouble for that,” Nova spoke up simply. 

“I said the same thing too,” Eclipse mentioned, causing Nova to sigh. 

“I can't believe he'd say shit like that about us,” Adryn muttered in disbelief. With that, Reiji made his way into the room. 

“I'm so sorry for Camus. He said more after you left, so I'm glad you did leave when you did.” Reiji said to Adryn as he approached her. 

“I'm sorry for being rude to him, but he shouldn't have started it or said what he said about my group.” 

“I understand your anger. Camus had no right to say anything like that.” Reiji then sat next to Adryn on the bench she was seated on. She instantly leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“I don't want to come between you and Camus, or anyone else.” 

“Thank you, Adryn. If anything were to happen between Camus and me, it'd be on me.” Adryn just sighed in response. 

“Camus is a dick. He needs to get over this jealousy that he has toward you two.” Nova stated simply. 

“It might not be jealousy, but the feeling of someone encroaching on his territory. He is a dog guy after all.” Eclipse responded to her sister. Hearing this made Adryn laugh.

“Everything will be alright eventually. I'll just stay out of Camus' way.” Adryn muttered sadly.

“I want you two to get along.” Reiji frowned as he spoke. 

“I know, but I don't think that's possible.” Adryn then got up and sighed. “I'm not really hungry anymore. I'm just going to bed. Reiji, come to bed whenever you're ready.” 

“Are you two sleeping together now?” Eclipse asked a little confused. 

“From yesterday to the time I leave the mansion, I'll be sharing Adryn's bed,” Reiji responded for Adryn. 

“Is that a good idea? Won't it be harder to part ways when you have to leave?” Nova questioned Adryn and Reiji. 

“It'll be hard no matter what. I'd rather spend all the time I can with Reiji before our time is up.” Adryn responded this time instead of Reiji. 

“Exactly.” Reiji agreed as he stood up. He and Adryn shared a kiss and then Adryn headed to bed. She walked into her room, only to realize that she needed new bed stuff. Adryn sighed to herself and got to work. She collected her bedsheets and blanket, along with Reiji's stuff from his room. She needed to wash all the fluids and sickness from their bedding. Thankfully, there was a laundry room on that floor, so that's where Adryn went. She then gathered new bed stuff for her room, not Reiji's since he didn't really need it anyway. 

Once her bed was made, Adryn got ready for bed and climbed into her now clean bed. Adryn then began to dwell on everything that'd happened that day. Her mind quickly went to negative thoughts, not the sexy times. Adryn wondered that if Camus thought they were a waste of time, what did the others think? Adryn eventually drifted off to sleep just as upset as she was before. 

A while later, Adryn woke up to the sound of her bedroom door closing. She looked up from her pillow to see a figure that she hoped was Reiji. 

“Oh, sorry for waking you.” Sure enough, it was Reiji. Adryn instantly sat up and grabbed her glasses to see Reiji better. He was already dressed in sleep clothes. 

“It's alright. I'm glad to see you, even though you woke me.” To Adryn's response, Reiji chuckled. 

“it's pretty late, you should get back to sleep.” 

“I wanna cuddle.” Reiji chuckled again and climbed into bed. They instantly got all cuddly with each other. Adryn set her glasses back on the bedside table.

“Can I tell you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“The reason I got so upset earlier was that I never once thought that any of this was a waste of time. I got to finally be with my true love, that could never be a bad thing.” 

“I'm so sorry again for Camus' words.” 

“It's alright.” Adryn shrugged, dismissing it, but Reiji knew it still bothered her. So, Reiji kissed her forehead. 

“Sleep.” With that, Adryn and Reiji drifted off to sleep in each other's arms. 

A couple of hours later, Adryn woke up and noticed that Reiji was still sleeping. She wanted to just go back to bed, but she couldn't. She was hungry. So, Adryn slithered out of Reiji's arms and put her glasses on. She then made her way down to the kitchen in her short shorts and a tank top. Once she entered the kitchen, she froze. There sat Ranmaru eating a banana. 

“Hey,” Ranmaru muttered to the surprised girl. 

“Hi, Maru,” Adryn responded simply as she went to the freezer to grab some food. She then heated it up and sat down in her usual seat. 

“You didn't come back for dinner. Why?” 

“I lost any want for food then, besides I didn't want to be around Camus, just in case, so I didn't say something that would affect Reiji.” Ranmaru just nodded his head in understanding. “I also just wanted to sleep early anyway, but that backfired. I'm not up super early. Why are you up early, Maru?” 

“I got up early to go on a run around the property.” 

“Did you find anything on your run?” 

“I didn't... What would I have found anyway?” 

“Treasures are all over the property. There are rare trees and flowers, random rocks that are pretty, and even random cats that wander around through the fences somehow.” 

“Cats?” Adryn chuckled at Ranmaru's interest in the cats. 

“They visit on nice days, but I haven't had the chance to feed or play with them in a while, so they probably ran off to another place to get food.” 

“Ah.” Ranmaru then stood up. 

“Thank you for not begin rude to me.” 

“You haven't given me a reason for me to be rude to you, so why would I? I'm not like Camus.” 

“You're right. You're a lot nicer than Camus is.” Adryn laughed as she watched Ranmaru hide his smirk. Ranmaru then left the room and greeted someone as he did so, but Adryn heard no one greet him back. So, Adryn turned around to see Reiji standing there in the doorway. “What are you doing up?” Adryn asked Reiji as she stood up from her seat. She walked to him worried when he didn't respond right away. In response, Reiji just hugged Adryn tightly. 

“I woke up from a bad dream, only to see you missing. I got worried.” Reiji responded after a moment of just hugging Adryn. 

“I'm sorry for not being there to help you. I got hungry.” Adryn then pulled away from Reiji and kissed him. Reiji kissed back with a bit more passion than usual, which made Adryn feel like something was wrong. “What was your dream about?” Adryn questioned once they broke their passionate kiss.

“I dreamed that you lost interest in me and left me for Ran-Ran. Then when I came down here to hear you and him taking, it got me even more worried.” Much to Reiji's dismay, Adryn literally laughed out loud. He then pouted to her laughter causing her to apologize. 

“I'm only laughing because it's ridiculous to think that I'd ever be interested in Maru. I love you with everything that I am, and I most likely won't fall out of love with you. Maru is cute and all, but honestly Camus would be more my type other than when he opens his mouth and those horrid words come out.” Reiji chuckled to Adryn's words but then paused when he fully processed everything she'd said. 

“What do you mean that Myu would be more your type?” Adryn chuckled at Reiji's concerned question. 

“I just have a thing for people with blond hair and blue eyes and other than that, Camus' physical appearance fits what I'd normally have gone after if I had wanted to.” 

“Great...” Reiji sighed and looked to the ground as he grumbled, “Now I'm going to have nightmares of you and Myu.” Adryn frowned and reached out and pulled Reiji's face to look at hers. 

“Listen, my love. You don't need to worry about anything. I don't care about anyone who might be more my type, I only care about you. I only have eyes for you, because I love you and no one else. There are pretty people everywhere but it doesn't mean that I'm going to leave you for any of them. I would and could never have the same type of connection that I have with you with anyone else. It just isn't possible.” To Adryn's words, Reiji smiled. 

“Thank you for reassuring me. That dream really messed me up.” 

“No matter what, I'll reassure you, even if I have to 1000 times. As long as you do the same for me.” 

“Of course.” Reiji smiled at Adryn before kissing her. She kissed him back and they got closer together before a voice behind Reiji spoke up. 

“Stop making out in the kitchen.” It was Camus. He looked quite irritated. Reiji and Adryn instantly moved apart to allow Camus through. Camus walked to the cupboards and got out some tea to make. 

“Good morn-” Reiji began but was immediately cut off by Camus. 

“Be silent, fool. I don't want to hear anything from you this early.” 

“Is something wrong? Are you having a bad time or something? You're being more of a dick than usual.” Adryn asked, not meaning to sound as mean as she did. 

“Nothing is wrong.” Camus glared at Adryn. 

“Are you missing your dog, Alexander?” Reiji asked simply, but Camus glared at him as well. 

“That's right. You're a dog person. Makes sense.” Adryn muttered before she looked back at Reiji. “I'm going to go play with Serenity and Precious.” Reiji just nodded his head and watched as Adryn left the kitchen. 

“You've been being a lot more rude than usual,” Reiji tells Camus, who just ignores him. Reiji just sighed to himself before talking again. “We're only going to be here for a little while longer. We should make an effort to get along with everyone, including Adryn. Despite whatever is wrong between you two.” With those comments, Reiji leaves the room, not wanting to hear anything from Camus. Reiji made his way to the cubs' room and entered it, only to see Adryn laying on the ground with Serenity and Precious. She was talking to them. 

“Why does Camus hate me so much?” Adryn asked the cubs, not that they responded to her to anything.

“Myu doesn't hate you. He's just like that around others.” Reiji tells Adryn hoping that helped a little bit. Adryn just sighed though. “I'm really sorry about how he acts toward you.” Adryn just shook her head. 

“I don't want an apology, I just want to get along with him. I want to get along with Maru and Ai as well. I just... I just want to get along with the important people in your world. So we don't face too many problems with others in the future.” Reiji just smiles at Adryn and goes and lays down with her. Adryn rolls over to face Reiji and they smile at each other. 

“I'm glad that you want to be friendly with my friends. I really want that to happen, but it's alright. It'll take some time to become friends with them all. Even though you're already friendly enough with Ran-Ran.” Reiji finished his sentence with a pout. Adryn just chuckled at him.

“You don't need to worry about anything with me and Maru. We aren't compatible anyway. He's a Libra and they aren't compatible with Capricorns at all.”

“I see... How compatible are Cancers and Capricorns.” Adryn laughed at Reiji's curiosity, so she sat up. She then pulled out her phone and looked it up on the internet as Reiji sat up and scooted closer to her. 

“According to this website, we are 84% compatible overall. Our sexual and intimacy compatibility is 99%.” Hearing this from Adryn made Reiji laugh. “Our trust is 99%, communication and intellect is 70%, emotions are 75%, values are 70% and shared activities are 90%.” Adryn allowed Reiji to read a bit of what each category said. “It seems like our highest percentages are our trust and sexual and intimacy categories.” 

“It really shows that our trust is high. Plus, we are definitely compatible with the sexual and intimate side of things, with how close we've gotten so quickly.” 

“I agree.” Adryn and Reiji chuckled together. 

“I don't really believe in everything that you showed me, but I do believe in how compatible we are, because of how we feel for each other and how we interact with each other.”

“I feel the same way.” Adryn and Reiji go to kiss each other, but Serenity leaped onto Reiji, knocking him backward. Adryn and Reiji began to laugh as Serenity pawed at Reiji's face as she licked at him. Adryn instantly pulled Serenity off and spoke to her. “Only I can give Reiji kisses.” Reiji just laughed and sat back up. Reiji then went to give Adryn a kiss but she leaned away from him. “No, no. you're covered with cub saliva. No kisses until you wash your face.” 

“Very well.” Reiji then got up to go do just what Adryn said to do. “Come with me?” 

“Alright.” Adryn got up as well and the two bid farewell to the cubs and headed to Reiji's room. 

“I noticed that you took my bed stuff to clean, right?” 

“Yup... Wait, fuck! I left the bedding in the washer!” Adryn then hurried out of the room to go to the laundry room. Reiji just laughed and went to was his face. Once he was done, Reiji walked out to see Nova standing there in his room. 

“Oh, hey Nova.” 

“Hey, Reiji,” Nova replied simply. “I owe you an apology.” 

“It's alright. I understand that you were in a bad place. You don't need to apologize to me.” 

“No, I do because at one point I intended to end your life to get Adryn back into my arms.” Hearing this from Nova, Reiji froze. “It was good that I was taken away when I was because I don't think like that anymore.” 

“How do you feel about me now?” 

“Hmm...” Nova thought for a moment before responding. “I think you're perfect for Adryn. You can make her happy in ways that I never could. You can be with her while I can't anymore. My obsession when a little too far, but I'm better now. I don't plan on regressing back into old ways.” Nova then looked at Reiji in his eyes. “I apologize for everything. It was never my true intention to hurt you or Adryn. It all just went down as it did.”

“It's alright, Nova. Adryn and I are alright now, so it's all okay.” Reiji tried to reassure Nova, but before Nova could say anything back, Adryn walked into the room. 

“What's going on?” Adryn demanded a little worried about things. 

“I just came to apologize for my actions,” Nova responded with a smile on her face. 

“Thank you for apologizing.” Nova just smiled at Adryn, and then left the room. Adryn frowned and looked at Reiji. “Is she telling the truth?” 

“Nova just came to apologize,” Reiji responded, confirming that Nova wasn't lying. 

“I'm glad. I was worried there for a moment.” Adryn admitted to her lover. 

“I was worried too,” Reiji responded before Adryn yawned. 

“Wanna take a nap?” Adryn asked Reiji who laughed in return. 

“We've only been up for a little while now.”

“I just wanna go back to bed and sleep the day away.”

“Nope, it's time to keep practicing our song until we have it nearly perfect.”

“Dammit... That does sound like a good idea.” Adryn grumbled causing Reiji to chuckle at her. The two then headed off to the music room. The rest of their day goes normally with Adryn and Reiji practicing. Everyone else worked on their songs as well, taking turns in the recording room getting their songs done. Everything was going pretty well for the groups, for now.


	26. Performance

The rest of the week went by with everyone doing their own thing, for the most part. Adryn and Reiji get their performance just about perfect, well as perfect as it can get in a practice environment. The two ended up falling asleep with each other every night and wake up together, but haven't done anything else sexual. They'd been too busy with their practicing and songs to do anything. They actually finish up all their songs and have them all recorded.

Eclipse and Ai record all of their songs completely and have been getting along decently. Eclipse and Taemin have been planning their wedding together. Everything was going good for them and they've gotten closer to finalizing their wedding plans. Taemin's new job that he still kept mostly a secret was going good as well. 

Ranmaru and Nova finished up their songs and recordings as well. They finished everything that they needed to do to get done. 

Camus and Shiori were the last to finish up their song recordings. They had issues with it because of how rude Camus has been to Adryn. They also have issues because of everything that he'd said about PURGATORY. It was safe to say that Shiori was a little irritated with Camus, not that he cared too much. 

It was finally the day of Adryn and Reiji's performance to reveal their relationship. Once Adryn woke up, she realized that Reiji had already been awake before her. He had just been watching her with a smile on his face. This caused Adryn to jolt due to her shock at him just looking at her. 

“Why are you just staring at me?” Adryn asked simply, causing Reiji to chuckle. 

“I just thought that you were so beautiful, so I just had to watch you sleep,” Reiji responded, still with a smile on his face. 

“How can a drooling girl be beautiful?”

“You looked so at peace while you slept, that's what was so beautiful.” Reiji's response just made Adryn laugh, making Reiji laugh as well. Adryn then allowed Reiji to pull her to him. He then sighed mostly to himself. “As much as I'd like to just snuggle with you, we have to get ready for our performance.” Their performance was at noon in a little coffee shop that had a stage inside. 

“I wonder how many people are going to be there,” Adryn muttered, not expecting Reiji to actually hear her. 

“Only certain fans were invited. There will be cameras and various other people there watching our performance though.” Reiji's response caused Adryn to sigh. 

“I'm feeling a little nervous now... It's a bad nervous though like something bad is going to happen...” 

“Ignore that bad feeling, everything will be alright.” Reiji smiled at Adryn, causing her to force a smile back. She then rolled off the bed, nearly falling to the floor, which caused Reiji to laugh at her. Adryn pouted before getting up from where she ended up. She then paused as she walked to her wigs. 

“I wonder which wig I could wear...” 

“Wear whichever one works best with your performance outfit.” 

“That all would work with that,” Adryn grumbled out simply. Reiji chuckled looked at her wigs from his place on her bed. 

“My favorite one is the one that is most like what your hair was. The orange-red one.” 

“That one is my favorite as well.” Reiji smiled at her as he climbed out of bed and approached Adryn, who was just staring at herself in the mirror. She didn't have a wig or her beanie on. Written all over her face was worry. 

“What's up?” 

“I'm just worried about everything. I know that we've already talked it all through before, but still.” 

“Adryn...” Reiji wrapped his arms around Adryn and spoke softly to her. “I'll be here for you no matter what. Don't forget that.” 

“Thank you. I'm so very thankful for you.” Reiji and Adryn smiled at each other and then go about getting ready for the day. Once they were ready, Reiji looked at Adryn who looked a bit pale. 

“Want to get some food before we leave?” 

“No.”

“You need to eat or else you'll get sick.”

“I'm already sick to my stomach with nerves.” Hearing this from his lover, Reiji frowned deeply. 

“You'll be alright.” Reiji was starting to not even believe his own words though. Adryn shook her head as the panic she was feeling began to overwhelm her. 

“I don't know if I can do this... I haven't performed much without those pills but I also don't want to do this performance on something...” Reiji reached out to the panicking Adryn, but she just pulled away. “I'm seriously freaking out right now.” 

“Everything will be alright. You'll be alright. Just calm down.” Reiji was trying to find the right words to say to the terrified girl. 

“I-I'm sorry...” Adryn then moved to leave the room, but Reiji moved faster than her and grabbed her arm gently, as to not hurt her. 

“Don't run away from me.” Reiji's words were soft, but it had no effect on Adryn. She instantly collapsed to the ground silently and began to breathe heavily. Reiji wrapped his arms around Adryn and held her as she began to shake. “Breathe slower, I don't want you passing out.” Reiji gently spoke to the hyperventilating woman. Adryn tried to do as he said as she forced herself to slowly calm down. It probably wasn't the best idea to force herself to calm down, but she did anyway. She didn't want to cry anymore and so she didn't. After a few minutes of her steadying her breathing, Adryn began to laugh. This worried Reiji beyond belief. 

“I... I had a feeling that I'd freak out like this... I'm glad I did it here rather than during the performance...” Adryn was trying to even out her words as they came out a bit funky. “I'm sorry for trying to run from you.” Adryn then leaned against Reiji, accepting his warmth to warm her cold body. “I'll be alright. Go get food. I'll fix my face and hair now that I've messed everything up.” 

“Are you sure you'll be alright alone?” Reiji asked as they began to untangle from each other. 

“I'll be okay.” Adryn gave Reiji a quick kiss and headed to the bathroom to fix herself. 

“Meet me in the entrance hall when you're done!” Reiji called out to Adryn before she shut the bathroom door. With that, Reiji reluctantly headed down to the kitchen. Eclipse was in the kitchen and instantly spoke to Reiji as he entered the kitchen. 

“How is Adryn feeling?” Eclipse asked Reiji as he went to the cupboards. 

“She had a panic attack,” Reiji responded with a frown on his face. 

“I figured she would.” Eclipse's words caused Reiji to sigh as he grabbed a granola bar before heading to the entrance hall. Reiji ate his granola bar as he waited for Adryn to come to the entrance hall. After a few minutes, Adryn showed up in the entrance hall. 

“Hey,” Adryn spoke up to Reiji who waved at her in return as he finished up his food. “We should get going, but let's go in our own cars. We don't want anyone to see us together before we tell everyone about our relationship. Also, you should head there first, so we don't arrive together.”

“Alright.” Reiji agreed and the two of them headed to their cars. Once at their cars, Reiji drove off first. 

Adryn remained there for a little bit before she drove off as well. Adryn was beginning to get nervous again but not as nervous as before. So she just casually drove to the coffee shop and pulled into the back of it like she was told to. She parked next to Reiji's car and saw that it was empty, meaning he was already in the shop. As Adryn climbed out of her car, nervousness hit her all at once and she slowly walked into the back of the shop. She instantly saw that Reiji was chatting with someone, but once he spotted Adryn, he hurried to her. 

“I was worried you wouldn't get here on time. You took too long getting here.” Reiji teased Adryn who forced a smile before responding to him. 

“I'm getting nervous, so I guess that made me drive slowly. I'll be alright though.” Adryn then watched as two people approached them and then pulled Reiji and Adryn apart as Reiji tried to say something to her. She wasn't sure what it was, so she just shrugged it off. The two were put into their performance clothing and had makeup put on and all that good stuff before being shoved onto the stage together. There was a curtain up, so the fans and others in the main part of the shop couldn't see them yet. 

“How do you feel?” Reiji whispered to Adryn who just looked at him and made herself smile at him. She wanted her smile to tell him that she was alright. Reiji smiled back at her, making her nerves float away a little bit. However, she was hit with a wave of panic as the curtain began to part. Adryn kept herself neutral and calm as the performance began. 

Reiji and Adryn performed with no issues at all. Everything went so well that Adryn nearly thought she was dreaming it all, but the fans' loud voices caused her to remember that she was awake and this was real. After the performance ended, the fans' reactions were a mix of about half and half. Half the people there were happy and crying out happily, while others were not looking or sounding as positive. 

“So, how does everyone feel about me and Adryn being taken by each other?” Reiji called out to the group of fans. There was a chorus of yelling various things, but other fans hushed them and eventually, one fan stood up and spoke out above the noise. 

“You shouldn't date someone like Adryn. She's poison.” The fan spoke to Reiji, causing Adryn to internally jolt, but outwardly she kept a neutral face. Reiji frowned though. 

“I truly adore Adryn, despite anything that might be assumed by anyone who doesn't actually know her.

“How do you even know her?” The same fan asked Reiji. 

“QUARTET NIGHT has been staying with PURGATORY in Adryn's mansion. It's been over a month now. We've been working on songs together. That's how I've gotten to know Adryn very well during my time there. I would truly appreciate everyone supporting us and being positive with us. Remember, hurtful things that are said by you all hold weight  
and can really hurt someone.” Hearing Reiji, that fan sat down with another one standing up, but this time addressing Adryn. 

“Do you really care about him?! You've been in a few other public relationships before that ended badly, aren't you risking a lot by being with someone more famous than you?” The new fan asked Adryn, causing her to stop being neutral. Adryn then smiled at the fan before speaking. 

“I love Reiji. This is different than any other type of love I've felt before. I'm risking a lot, yes. Everything could go wrong, but I'm hoping that they don't because I intend of spending the rest of my life with Reiji, no matter how famous we are or what anyone else says.” Hearing this from Adryn, Reiji smiled at her. He then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. 

“I feel the same about Adryn. I know that people are going to think we're going too fast, only knowing each other for about a month, but this is a journey that we're on together now. I would like everyone to come along with us, in a positive way.” Reiji spoke to the crowd of people. Most of the fans then seemed to be super supportive and they all began to yell out their own questions that they wanted to be answered. Adryn instantly got overwhelmed but Reiji just chuckled to the group of fans. “Everything will get answered. We just need some time to slowly open up more with everyone. Will you let us do this at our own pace?” There was a bunch of girls telling Reiji that they agree with his words. “Good, good. Well, guess what else?! There are going to be upcoming songs being released by each member of QUARTET NIGHT and PURGATORY in pairs. Look forward to that!” With that, Reiji and Adryn waved to the fans as the curtain closed. As soon as the curtain was all the way closed, Adryn slumped over, drained. 

“Thank god that's over...” Adryn muttered to herself. She instantly left the stage with Reiji right behind her. 

“Are you alright?” To Reiji's question, Adryn just shrugged her shoulders and went off to get her normal clothes back on. Reiji went and did the same thing too, but was worried now. Once he was done, he left that room, only to be told that Adryn had already left before him. This upset Reiji a little bit, but he shook it off and headed to the mansion by himself. Once Reiji pulled up in the driveway, he noticed that Adryn's car wasn't there, but he assumed she'd put it in the garage. So, Reiji just parked and got out of his car as Eclipse walked out of the mansion, worried. 

“Where's Adryn? I didn't see her come home yet. I thought she'd be right with you.” 

“What?” Reiji was hit with worry as he pulled out his phone and called Adryn. The phone rang once before he was sent to voicemail. A moment later, Reiji received a text from Adryn. She informed him that she needed to calm down before returning to the mansion. Reiji texted back telling her that he'd help her calm down, but Adryn didn't respond to him. So, Reiji informed Eclipse about what was just said, making her worry more. 

“I thought Adryn was done with dealing with things on her own. I guess that she still is having a hard time showing everything to you, despite everything.” 

“I thought she'd be more open with me about her issues, but it's understandable to not be open all of the time.” 

“You're very understanding of her feelings, but you need to focus on how you feel too.” Eclipse's words confused Reiji. 

“I'm happy though.” 

“I can sense that deep down, you aren't happy with how Adryn is still closed off. You need to tell her before it creates a misunderstanding.” 

“Alright, I understand. I'll tell her when the time is right.” That seemed to be alright with Eclipse, so she just turned around and headed into the mansion with Reiji behind her. The two sat down on a bench to wait for Adryn's return. 

“So, how'd the performance go? From your point of view?”

“It went great! However, afterward, a few fans didn't seem to happy about the news. By the end of it though, it seemed like things were alright.” 

“Clearly Adryn didn't think that everything went well.”

“I agree... I wonder when she'll come back home.” 

“Adryn likes to run away from her problems but she'll be back eventually.”

“I know that she likes to run away. She tried to run from me when she had a panic attack this morning.” Eclipse frowned hearing this from Reiji. 

“I hope everything is alright with Adryn...”

“Everything will be alright as soon as she gets home.” 

“Reiji... How far are you willing to go for Adryn?” 

“What do you mean?” Reiji asked, looking to Eclipse. 

“Adryn never intended to be an idol for her whole life. She only wanted to be a composer, but Daichi decided that she needed to join PURGATORY with us. Adryn was against it and was forced to become an idol. She might be looking for an out. What will you do if she stops being an idol? She might use this to retire and leave the music and idol business altogether.” Reiji thought about everything Eclipse said for a little bit before responding. 

“I don't think Adryn would do something like use our relationship to leave the business, she wouldn't hurt us like that.” 

“But what if she does leave? Will you leave with her or stay an idol? Will you force her to be in the spotlight with you still?” Eclipse's questions threw Reiji off, but he couldn't respond, as they hear a car pulling up in the driveway. Reiji and Eclipse went outside to see Adryn pulling into the garage, so they hurried to the garage just as Adryn was climbing out of the car. She seemed completely fine to Reiji. 

“How do you feel? Are you alright?” Reiji asked as he approached Adryn. 

“I'm alright now. I just got a little overwhelmed and wanted time to myself for I took the long way home.” Adryn spoke as she walked past Reiji and Eclipse. Eclipse chose to not follow her, but Reiji did all the way to her bedroom. Adryn realized this and turned to face Reiji. 

“Are you really alright?” 

“I'm fine. I was really shaken up before. I was expecting a few fans to not support us, but I never thought they'd be so brave to say things like that to my face.” 

“I'm sorry for my fans.”

“It's alright. It's kind of nice that they like you enough to be protective of you.” This caused Reiji to frown. He decided then to just go into what was bothering him. 

“It's alright if you're upset with them. You just need to tell me and be open and honest with me.” Adryn chose to not respond right away. Instead, she went to her bed and hopped onto it. She then just looked at him before speaking finally. 

“I'm sorry for not being open. It's hard to fully open up to someone after being hurt so many times by people I thought I loved.”

“I understand. I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us.” 

“There will always be misunderstandings, fights, and sadness sometimes between couples. No matter how perfect for each other they are or how close they are.” Reiji frowned hearing Adryn's words, but before he could say anything, Adryn's phone went off. Adryn frowned as she pulled out her phone. She saw she had a few notifications from people on her social media page. She then sighed and turned off her phone's ringer so she wouldn't have to hear it go off again. She then put her phone away. 

“What did you see?” Reiji asked, only for Adryn to shake her head. This caused Reiji to frown, and not liking that Adryn spoke up. 

“I got a post on my page saying that I should end my relationship with you because I'm not good enough for you. There were positive posts too, but I don't want to deal with negativity right now.” Adryn finally had spoken up, only for Reiji's phone to go off then. He checked his phone only to see a similar post on his page. Someone told him to end his relationship with Adryn because he was better than her.

“We should make a post together, to show that we won't be broken up so easily,” Reiji suggested to Adryn. She seemed hesitant but agreed anyway. So, Reiji climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arm around Adryn. Reiji kissed Adryn's cheek, bringing a smile out from her before he smiled as he took the picture. “Ooh! This came out good!” Reiji then posted the picture with the caption “Stronger Together”. Seeing this brought out a smile from Adryn again. She was then hit with a realization. 

“I don't think we're following each other on our official accounts, are we? I think I'm only following you on my personal ones with my real name where my face isn't shown anymore.” To this, Reiji and Adryn went onto their phones, found each other's official accounts, and followed each other. 

“Why weren't you following me before?”

“Well I was only ever following you on my personal accounts, I guess I never thought to follow you on my official accounts too.” Reiji nodded his head in understanding, but then thought of something. He needed to ask this finally. 

“What is your real name? I won't make you tell me. I'm just curious.” To Reiji's question, Adryn frowned. She then thought about it for a moment. 

“My middle name is Marie?” That seemed to be all Adryn was willing to state, so Reiji just thanked her and smiled at her. This caused Adryn to frown deeper. “Why aren't you upset that I won't tell you my full name? You should be. Your dating someone and don't even know my actual name.” 

“Your real name doesn't matter to me. I already know who you are, without your real name and that's alright with me.” 

“Jazmine Marie Gray. That's my real name. It's where the JMG for my old books comes from.” Hearing this from Adryn surprised Reiji.

“Why did you tell me? I mean I'm thankful for that, but I'm just surprised.” 

“I trust you. You deserve to know my real full name. Just don't ever call me that. I don't want anyone else to hear it.”

“What are Eclipse and Nova's real names?” 

“It's not my place to tell you without permission, but I'll ask them if I am allowed to.”  
Adryn then texted Eclipse and Nova on their group chat asking permission to tell Reiji their names. They instantly responded with permission. “They said I can tell you. Eclipse's real name is Elizabeth Lee Probst and Nova's is Lysander Ann Lynn.” 

“I thought they were sisters, why is their last name different?” 

“They are only half-sisters. They share a father, but not a mother. Even though Eclipse's mother raised them both anyway.” Hearing this confused Reiji even more than before, but he didn't question it any further.

“Thank you for telling me and for trusting me. Tell Eclipse and Nova I thank them as well... Does Taemin know your real names?” 

“Of course.” Adryn laughed a little bit causing Reiji to just nod his head. Reiji then laid down on the bed and smiled at Adryn. 

“I like your name, it's different.”

“I was named after a woman in a soap opera. She was about to be burned alive but my mom thought Jazmine was a good name anyway.” Hearing this, Reiji froze completely, causing Adryn to laugh. “I'm not joking. It's what I was told anyway.”

“That's... different.” Adryn just laughed at Reiji's hesitancy as she laid down next to him and got all cuddled up with him. “I love you, Adryn.” 

“I love you too, Reiji,” Adryn muttered in response as she began to yawn sleepily. This caused Reiji to realize that she was falling asleep. 

“Hey, let's get under the blankets. We'll take a well-deserved nap.” Reiji shook Adryn awake as Adryn just nodded her head as she did as she was told. She crawled under the blankets with Reiji and fell right to sleep. Reiji could understand why she was so tired. It was because of all the emotions of the day causing her to be exhausted despite it being only around 3pm or so.

Reiji's phone then went off causing him to check it. There were a few notifications on his picture with Adryn. There were a lot of comments and likes. Some comments were good but a lot were negative about them. Well, mostly about Adryn. Some fans were attacking Adryn in the comments. Reiji just sighed to himself and put his phone away in favor of pulling Adryn closer to him. 

“I will protect you,” Reiji mumbled to the sleeping Adryn. Reiji then yawned and snuggled closer to the sleeping woman. Reiji then drifted off to sleep, peaceful sleep with his lover in his arms, safe and sound.


End file.
